Reading: The Gamer of Fate
by Spiceracksargent001
Summary: The royal families of Nohr, Hoshido, and Valla, are brought aboard my still incomplete Trans-Dimensional Factory Ship to read the tale of a once normal man, who becomes the Gamer and gets flung to the continent of the aforementioned Kingdoms. Let's see how things go down, shall we?
1. Preparations and Research

The clanking of metallic boots was heard through the corridors of an as of yet incomplete vessel, the figure inside it moving with a purpose. All around him, the sounds of whirring machines, hover engines, and moving ball rollers could be heard as the various worker robots he had running about the place set up all of the mechanical components of the ship. "ELFI, status on the Cross-Dimensional Database System," the figure commands.

"All physical components are fully assembled and awaiting activation," a synthetic, disembodied voice replies through the person's helmet. "However, the central network Cortex is still awaiting enchantment and arcane activation."

"Alright, tell the Haros in the Datacore that I'm on my way, and prep the elevator there."

"At once, Captain." ELFI replies as she cuts the link.

The Electronic Logistics and Forgemaster Intelligence, or ELFI, was the onboard AI of the vessel this person was creating: a self-sustaining factory ship capable of crossing the dimensional barrier through a combination of science and sorcery. Dubbed the TDMF-X01A Hephaestus, the ship itself drew much of its design inspiration from the CBS-68 Euclides factory ship from Mobile Suit Gundam 00F. As such, the vessel was largely cylindrical in design, with a modified docking ring that, after the time needed to fully construct and crew them after the ship itself was operational, could fit up to 4 Cornelius-Class tender ships from Gundam SEED, each one modified to the same extent as the Junk Guild's ReHOME.

The tenders were a concern for another time, though. After reaching the datacore, the figure approached the large, almost sphere-like device sitting at the core of the area. This was the central component of the Hephaestus' Cross-Dimensional Database System: a supercomputer that would be able to access databases from across entire dimensions in order to obtain specific blueprints and data from the world(s) in question, and also acted as a sort of search engine for locating who or what he wanted/needed at any given point in time. He'd used a prototype version of this system before: how else was he supposed to acquire blueprints for the Euclides, the Cornelius-class tender, the Celestial Being-issue Haros (the best Haros, in his personal opinion), _and_ the Karols in order to build the Hephaestus in the first place? He'd used the Karol as a springboard for his own workbot for the Haros called the Tenor. It worked like a Karol, but was a work loader on ball rollers instead of a repair and welding unit that hovered.

Shaking his head of these distracting thoughts, the man returned his attention to the Cortex for the Hephaestus' Cross-Dimensional Database System and puts his hand on it. After running his hand along the surface, inspecting the focusing runes he'd engraved into the machine, he closes his eyes and focuses. The air around him surges with light as runic sigils begin to form around him. In the light being emitted by the enchantment, one of the Haros turned and looked at the captain of the vessel.

He was clearly a human male, wearing what appeared to be some form of magitek power armor, overtop which was a greatcoat. The armor itself was rather sparse, and consisted only of a cuirass that supported a steam engine, greaves, boots, and a set of combination gauntlet/vambraces with clawed fingers, with various tubes and pistons connecting it all into one piece, underneath which were a simple t-shirt and cargo jeans. The greatcoat itself was a leather Duster with armored pauldrons and other piece of metal strips placed to offer maximum protection and mobility. Covering his head was a more modern/futuristic helmet with an integrated headset that included a wireless uplink to the ship's central computer.

The Cortex for the Database System lights with runic energy as the power surging around the figure transfers to the device. After a few moments, the Cortex, and the entire datacore room as a result, turn on, filling the room with the hum of cooling fans and arcane power.

"Datacore active, Cross-Dimensional Database System will be online and fully synchronized in t-minus 3 hours," ELFI reports.

"Put a timer up on my HUD, and give me a reminder when the activation and sychronization is done" The figure orders as he turns around to head to the elevator. "I'll be in Engineering working on the Trans-Dimensional Distortion Field Drive. It's the most delicate part of the ship, so I want to be working on it personally to make sure it's set up and enchanted within proper functional parameters."

-3 hours later-

"Captain, the Cross-Dimensional Database System is online and working within stable operational parameters," ELFI announces over the figure's comm-link.

"Thank you, ELFI, just saw the timer hit zero," he says as he puts down some tools. "That should be enough work on the T-D.D.F.D. for now. Startup the Database System and begin searching the original Fire Emblem realms, specifically those with a female Corrin. Also, you know you can just call me Spice, right?"

"I am aware, Captain, I simply choose to refer to you by your proper title as Captain of this vessel," ELFI replies. "Also, is there any particular reason you want the realms with a female Corrin?"

"Yeah, talked with Phoenix, and we'll be setting up a Reading for his latest tale," the now-named Spice explains, "and he wants the royal families of Hoshido, Nohr, and Valla from prior to the start of Fire Emblem Fates' story. Female! Corrin, Ryoma, Hikona, Takumi, Sakura, Xander, Camilla, Leo, Elise, and Azura, specifically."

"Very well, Captain," ELFI replies. "Do you require anything specific?"

"Info, for starters," Spice replies. "Never seen the original Fates realms before, so I want to know everything I can of the world prior to the start of Corrin's tale, especially with regards to the individuals in question. Beyond that, coordinates for the Warp Bridge. Since we know it works thanks to your… eagerness… to warp in the reading group for Xanothos' gamer story, I want to know where they are when the time comes to summon them for the reading."

"Very well, Captain," ELFI says as she begins gathering intel. "Also, I'm not apologizing."

"Not surprised by that, if I'm being honest. I programmed you to make sure everything runs smoothly, so technically speaking, you _were_ just doing your job."


	2. Introduction

Spice was currently in his quarters of the Hephaestus, going over some of the info he'd gotten about the people he was planning to call in for the reading he and Phoenix had talked about, when he notices a pop-up from ELFI.

 _Captain, coordinates for the requested members of the Hoshidan, Nohrian, and Vallan royal families have been successfully calculated._

Minimizing the window with his notes, Spice sets his fingers on the keyboard and types up a response.

 _Excellent, warm up the Warp Bridge and prepare for mass warp-in. I'll continue going over my notes for now. I'm also shooting you the coordinates for the room that the reading will take place in. Have the royals sent there once they're aboard._

Spice included the room coordinates for where in the Hephaestus he wanted the individuals from the Fates realm to be taken to. It was a few minutes before ELFI responded.

 _Captain, these room coordinates are for the Officer's Lounge. Are you sure about this?_

 _I am._

 _Very well, I shall inform you when the warp-in is 10 seconds from completion._

 _Thank you, ELFI._

With the conversation done, Spice minimizes the pop-up and returns to his research notes. "Now where was I… Ah, yes, the Hoshidan royal family."

* * *

"Mmm…" the voice of a young woman groans as she rouses from unconsciousness. Her eyes snapped open, however, when she found herself in the middle of a room she did not recognize as being in the Northern Fortress back in her "homeland" of Nohr. The woman in question had flowing, almost pale blonde hair, red eyes, and pointed, almost elf-like, ears. Her attire consisted of form-fitting, dress-like silver and black armor with beige that almost looked like it was layered like a dragon's scales overtop a black blouse with baggy sleeves and long, black gloves, and lacy, black leggings that left her bare feet exposed. Her name was Corrin, the (currently) amnesiac princess of Hoshido whom had been raised by the Nohrian royal family after she was kidnapped by Nohr's king, Garon. To her left on the same couch as her was another young woman, passed out, obviously, with long, ocean blue hair. This woman was Azura, the estranged princess of Nohr whom had been kidnapped by Hoshido, and had been living peacefully and freely there, even if she was technically considered a Prisoner of War. Looking to her right, she saw a pair of couches that held her siblings by adoption (though she doesn't know this quite yet), Xander, Leo, Camilla, and Elise. All members of the Nohrian royal family. To her left, past Azura, she saw another set of couches that held her siblings by birth (sort of), Ryoma, Takumi, Hinoka, and Sakura; members of the Hoshidan royal family.

"W-where am I?!" Corrin cries out in confusion and a bit of fear. Why was her family here? Why were the Hoshidan royals here?! Her cry also had the unintentional effect of waking up everyone else in the room. Everyone immediately began looking about, then noticed one another.

"Hoshidans!" Xander shouts as he jumps up from the couch he and Leo were on and reaching for his sword, Siegfried.  
"Nohrians!" Ryoma shouts as he mirrors Xander's actions and reaches for his katana, Raijinto.

Only for both of them to not feel the hilt of their respective swords, bringing confusion to the crown princes of Nohr and Hoshido, as well as all of the other royals as they feel around their persons for their weapons and come up with nothing. Well, save for Corrin, who never had a weapon to begin with.

"What is going on here?" Xander wonders as he looks around the room more closely. "Have we all been captured?"

"It would appear so," Ryoma muses, having overheard Xander. "This looks like no prison cell, however, so where are we? And why are we here?"

The attention of all of the royals is drawn to a nearby door as it opens. "I believe I can answer that," a voice none of the royals recognize speaks up as Spice walks into the room with Orange Haro close behind, using a Tenor to carry breakfast for the royals.

"And you are?" Camilla asks coldly as she quickly makes her way to Corrin and pulls her into a protective embrace, that also ends up trapping the princess' head in between her adoptive elder sister's cleavage.

"I have a few names I've gone by, but you may simply refer to me as Spice," Spice says in introduction as Haro sets down the table with breakfast for the royals. "Also, you may want to release your sister from your cleavage, Princess Camilla, before she ends up suffocating. Plus, you won't be able to have breakfast while you're trapping Corrin like that."

"And for what reason do you have to kidnap the royals of Hoshido and Nohr, our sworn enemy, and bring us wherever we are now?" Takumi asks, no small amount of irritation and scorn in his tone.

"First off, cut the sass, Prince Takumi, before I give you a taste of my Power Gauntlets," Spice threatens, cracking his knuckles while his gauntlets spark menacingly, causing the Hoshidan prince to gulp nervously. "As for where I've brought you all, this is my ship, the Hephaestus, and before anyone says anything, yes, this is a ship unlike any other that any of you have ever seen before, or ever will see after we're done here."

All of the royals gathered soon nod and begin getting up from their seats and begin gathering around the table Haro brought in (Orange had left already to go find Red) to grab some breakfast. Leo, however, decided to ask a rather important question that was on the mind of all of the royals. "Would I be correct in guessing that you brought us all here for a reason?" the Nohrian prince inquires, getting a nod from Spice. "May I ask what that reason is?"

"You most certainly can, Prince Leo," Spice says with a smirk while retrieving a book of some kind from a magnetic clamp on his belt. "I have brought you all here because there is a rather special tale that I, and the creator of this tale, wish for you all to read. I can assure you that this is no ordinary book, for it will show you all events that could very well happen in the future that all of you share." As Spice explains this, he holds up the book, allowing all of the gathered royals to see it. He then hands the book to Leo. "Now, then, since you were kind enough to inquire about why you're here, and seeing as you have yet to collect some food for yourself, Prince Leo, would you do the honors of reading the title of this book aloud for everyone?"

Leo nods and takes the book before flipping it around so he can read the title. "The Gamer of Fate…?" he reads, though he trails off, making it seem a bit more like a question. "What kind of tale is this?"

"A rather unique one from what I've seen so far," Spice explains as Leo gives the book back to him so that he can eat breakfast. "I admit to not knowing too much about your world, but from what I've seen, this book covers the story of a once ordinary human who finds himself flung into your world with a unique ability and the chance to make a difference in many ways. Once you've all finished eating, however, I advise that you all bathe. Orange and Red will be the ones to escort you all to where you'll be washing up."

"How exactly are colors going to guide us to our bathing areas?" Ryoma asks for everyone, who were all too busy eating to ask.

"You remember the orange ball connected to the four-legged device that entered the room with me and left your breakfast here?" Spice asks, getting a round of nods from everyone. "That ball was Haro, one of several I have running around the ship, anyway. Orange and the other Haros are essentially my shipwrights, and are helping me with constructing the Hephaestus. That device he was docked with was a work-loader of my own personal design, called a Tenor. Alongside the Karol, a Haro-compatible device that I used as the basis for the Tenor's design, they and the Haros make up the majority of my maintenance crew. Well, just about the entirety of my crew period, at the moment, still need to acquire Reploid specs so I can start getting this ship crewed properly."

Not quite understanding what he was talking about, other than these "Haros" being the ones responsible for building the ship, the royals simply opt to eat their breakfast in silence after that. After a few minutes, everyone has finished eating, and Orange Haro returns (without a Tenor) with a red Haro in tow.

"Alright, gentlemen, and Takumi," Spice begins, getting an indignant "Hey!" from the Hoshidan prince in question, "follow Orange Haro; he'll take you to the showers so you can wash up. Ladies, follow Red Haro; she'll be taking you to the Angel Baths so you all can wash up."

"The Angel Baths?" Hinoka asks, curious.

"Artificial hot spring," Spice explains for the princesses with a smile. "I think you all will like them."

With that, the royals were all lead out before following their Haro guides to where they can all freshen up. Once the door closed, Spice got on his comms line. "ELFI, contact the nearest Haro, I'm gonna need help setting up."

~1 hour later~

The royal families of Nohr, Hoshido, and Valla soon return back to the room they woke up in, now clean and dressed. The princesses, true to Spice's word, did enjoy the Angel Baths, even if they did wonder why Spice needed an artificial hot spring in what was supposed to be a "factory ship", though Corrin was thoroughly confused and embarrassed when she found herself the subject, and caught in the middle, of a tug-of-war match between Camilla and Hinoka, both of whom wanted to dote on her. As they enter the door, they see Spice setting up...something (it's a TV)...with the aid of a black Haro docked to another of those "Tenor" devices.

"What is that?" Elise asks in fascination at what Spice is setting up.

"It's a little something for visual aid," Spice explains, not looking away from his work as he finishes connecting the wires. "And… done. Thank you, Black, you can go now."

"Roger! Roger!" Black Haro replies before releasing the television and rolls out of the room to continue what he was doing previously.

"Alright, now that you've all freshened up, we can begin," Spice says as he turns on the television and opens the book. "I'll go ahead and read the first chapter for you all. From there, the order of the reading shall go Corrin, Azura, Ryoma, Xander, Camilla, Hinoka, Elise, Sakura, Leo, and finally Takumi before looping back to Corrin. Any questions?"

Leo raised his hand, making Spice nod to him. "If it's not too rude to ask, where are our weapons?"

"They'll be returned to you after I finish the first chapter of the book," Spice replies. "I just wanted to make sure they wouldn't explode or something from being taken out of their home dimension. Also for data collection purposes, see if I might be able mirror some of the enchantments put on the four sacred weapons in particular with the Runeplates I use for my Magitek tools and weaponry. Also, before you ask, Camilla and Hinoka, your mounts will be waiting for you back in your respective countries when you return. Anything else?"

Spice gave them another minute after asking that to raise any further questions. When he received none at the end of the 60th second, he nodded and took a seat himself. "Then we can begin the reading."

* * *

 **ELFI: Time to commence the reading of The Gamer of Fate. Spiceracksargent001 wishes to thank you in advance for your continued patience and support of his work, and that the housecleaning of his works will be commencing once the Captain has finished compiling all of his previous that he will be revising. The intro for the Gamer of Fate should be ready later on this week.**


	3. Chapter 1

**ELFI: Time to begin the reading in earnest. I suppose I should make myself useful while the Captain is busy.**

 **The screen then goes to static for a bit before shifting to the Officer's Lounge, where Spice has just taken off his helmet so that he can begin the reading.**

* * *

Spice activates the Television and clears his throat as he starts reading.

 **Opening my eyes I found myself standing in a pure white space, nothing around me.**

The royals were paying attention to the screen almost immediately as they see nothing but said white space. "Hmm… seems we're seeing what's happening from the perspective of the person who is going to be sent to our world," Leo deduces. "I also doubt he'd planned on what's happening to him happening."

 **"Okay..." I said looking around, "This isn't how I planned to start my day."**

All of the royals turned to look at Leo, silently wondering how he got that right. "What?" Leo asked when he realized he was the center of attention. They decided to ask later and returned their attention to Spice's reading of the chapter.

 **Right then a screen popped up in front of me, message on it was as follows.**

 **[Congratulations, you've been chosen to be the newest among the people of the multiverse to claim the title and the abilities of The Gamer!]**

"What's The Gamer?" Corrin wonders.

"I don't have all of the details, but, in a nutshell, The Gamer is a unique ability that basically turns the person who has it into the protagonist of something called an RPG, or Role-Playing Game," Spice explains. "If/when we reach a good point for a break, I have some video games down in the rec hall for anyone curious. The Gamer, as an ability, first appeared in a webcomic of the same name from my world, where it was the acquired power of a Korean school kid named Jihan Han. The mechanics of the system are a bit divergent from the norm for this story, but the full explanation can wait for later."

 **"Well that's interesting." I said with a smile on my face, I loved that webcomic.**

 **[So what's your first name Gamer?]**

 **I smiled and said my name aloud. "Irwin." I said, not sure why it didn't ask for my last name, but whatever.**

 **[Irwin huh? Nice name, well I'm your tutorial guide for this little tutorial of your new ability. Now fortunately for you, you don't have to vocalize what you want for your abilities to kick in. That way you won't have people staring at you when you say stats in the middle of a public area when no one is around. Go ahead and think Menu.]**

"Seems like that'll come in handy fast," Hinoka comments. "Needing only this thoughts to use his abilities is certainly a good boon."

 **'Menu.' I thought.**

 **[[Menu]]**

 **Stats]**

 **[Inventory]**

 **[Skills]**

 **[Help]**

 **"Nice." I said, a help tab is always nice to have in case I need a quick refresher on something.**

 **[Okay so now that your menu is open, why don't you check out your stats huh? I mean you don't exactly have anything in your inventory at the moment, plus the only skills you have are Gamer's Body and Mind, and you probably already know what those are.]**

"Gamer's Body and Mind?" Xander and Ryoma simultaneously wonder aloud before looking to Spice, hopefully for an explanation of what the tutorial was talking about.

"In most, if not all, versions of The Gamer's System, these two abilities are the most basic, and the defining, traits of the power," Spice explains. "With Gamer's Mind, the person under it's effect is able to keep his, or her, cool in just about any situation, and depending on the world in question the Gamer's in, Gamer's Mind can even allow the person with it to withstand certain psychic attacks, such as hypnosis or illusions. Gamer's Body is what makes the person with it like a real-life Video Game character. With this skill, instead of lingering physical injuries, barring certain status conditions like bleeding or poison, any and all damage taken is instead taken out of a special meter that denotes The Gamer's remaining HP, or Health/Hit Points, and none of the actual damage becomes readily apparent, nor does it really affect The Gamer's ability to keep on going, unless The Gamer's HP reaches zero. Should that happen, however, The Gamer is pretty much dead in most circumstances."

 **"Fair point." I said, "Stats."**

The royals all watch on with interest at what Irwin's stat spread is going to be starting out.

 **[[Stats]]**

 **[Name: Irwin]**

 **[Lvl: 1]**

 **[EXP 0/ [Incomplete]]**

 **[Race: [Incomplete]]**

 **[Gender: Male]**

 **[HP: [Incomplete]]**

 **[Strength: [Incomplete]]**

 **[Magic: [Incomplete]]**

 **[Skill: [Incomplete]]**

 **[Speed: [Incomplete]]**

 **[Defense: [Incomplete]]**

 **[Resistance: [Incomplete]]**

 **[Luck: [Incomplete]]**

This got all of them confused. Why were only Irwin's name, level, and current EXP listed? They entertained the thought of asking why that was, but decided not to go through with it, figuring that the story was going to cover that for them.

 **"What the heck!? Why is my Name, Level and current EXP Tally the only things marked?" I cried out in confusion, "Still these others stats remind me of..." I snapped my fingers, "The Fire Emblem series... minus movement of course."**

"Fire Emblem…?" Corrin mused softly, probably wondering why that term seemed so familiar.

"I'll explain later," Spice says, apparently having heard Corrin, something which made the Nohrian/Hoshidan/Vallite (damn, that's a mouthful) princess look at him in surprise, but reply with a nod nonetheless.

 **[Well, you see... You're being sent into the World of Fire Emblem Fates, so there are some things that need to be... reworked a bit.]**

 **"Like my race?" I demanded a little annoyed.**

 **[Well that's the thing, something like a species actually means a fair bit in the Fire Emblem games so it was decided you should have the chance to re-work your race if you wanted.]**

"So, Irwin gets to decide what he enters our world as," Hinoka muses. "I wonder what options are available to him…?"

 **"Okay fair enough I suppose, what are my options?" I asked.**

 **[Possible Races-]**

 **[Human/Beorc]**

 **[Cat Laguz]**

 **[Tiger Laguz]**

 **[Lion Laguz]**

 **[Wolf Laguz]**

 **[Hawk Laguz]**

 **[Crow Laguz]**

 **[Heron Laguz]**

 **[Dragon Laguz]**

 **[Manakete]**

 **[Taguel]**

 **[Kitsune]**

 **[Wolfskin]**

 **[Branded]**

"That a lot of different races to chose from," Elise says in wonderment as she looks at the list available.

 **"Why are the Dragon Laguz not split up into their colors?" I asked.**

"What does that mean?" Ryoma asks, looking at Spice.

"From what I understand, the Dragon Laguz come in a variety of colors, and I'm pretty sure the element said Dragon Laguz's breath depends on the Dragon's color, and in a realm known as Tellius, from what I've gathered from this tale, the king of Goldoa, one of the many kingdoms of Tellius, is a Black Dragon Laguz."

"A Black Dragon?" Leo asks.

"Yep, and based on what I gathered from another tale under the purview of the overseer of this tale, amongst the Laguz, king and queen isn't just some title," Spice says. "A Laguz royal is incredibly hard to put down, with the King, or Queen in one case with Laguz royalty, being the absolute strongest of that particular Laguz kingdom and damn near unkillable, as well as not needing to change out of their beast form mid-battle. Hell, the King of the Goldoan Dragons, Dheginsea, can typically only be damaged in any meaningful way by weaponry enchanted by Yune, the Tellian Goddess of Chaos, or by anything, magic weapon or tome, aligned to the element of electricity, a weakness shared by all Dragon Laguz, and his Resistance is lower than his Defense, so there's that as well. Good freaking luck getting a mage anywhere _close_ to Dheginsea without them being roasted alive, though. Only the most rugged of Knights have the bulk needed to tank his Dark Breath."

Needless to say, all of the royals were now filled with a sense of dread as they thought of what might happen if Dheginsea were to attack their home kingdoms.

 **[We got to have a case of randomization in there somewhere.]**

 **"Fair enough." I said looking at my options, if I'm headed to the world, or at least the continent, that Fates takes place in I should probably think hard on this... or not, I've always been a glutton for punishment I suppose.**

"He's really just going to pick a race without regard for what'll come of choosing a certain race?" Leo asks skeptically. "Seems a little reckless if you ask me."

"Gonna have to agree with you on that one, Leo," Spice replies. "Irwin tends to kick reason to the curb at certain points in time."

 **"Branded." I said.**

 **[Are you sure about that?]**

 **"Yep, I mean it's not like I'm going to Tellius anytime soon or anything." I said, "Besides the Branded are known to have inherited something from their Laguz Parent that manifests differently depending on the person."**

"Is that true?" Ryoma asks, looking to Spice.

"More or less, though the Branded don't exactly have it easy due their heritage," Spice replies. "I'd go into more detail, but the story will do that for me in a later chapter. In exactly two chapters, actually."

 **[Very well then, but you don't get to chose your Laguz Blood.]**

"More randomization, I guess," Camilla comments, getting a nod from most everyone else and Spice as he continues reading.

 **"Fair enough." I said**

 **[Now then, for your stats you get to pick from a list of classes.]**

 **At that moment a wheel appeared in front of me, I gave it a few spins and saw every base class (Minus the unique ones) on there, from every game, Granted I haven't played anything that came before the Tellius saga... speaking of which, maybe I should show my appreciation to that series.**

"So, he's going to choose one of these Tellian classes," Xander muses before looking to Spice. "How many are there, exactly?"

"I'd have to confirm with Phoenix Champion, the guy writing this story," Spice starts, "but from what research I've personally done, I can safely say that Tellius has perhaps the widest diversity of Mage-type units in the entire Fire Emblem series due to Tellian Mages preferring to specialize in either Elemental, also known as Anima, Dark, or Light Tomes starting out, and Tellian Mages that use Anima Tomes specialize further between the three types of Anima tomes: Wind, Fire, and Thunder. I prefer the Tellian Wind Mage class, personally."

"Any particular reason?" Leo asks, intrigued at Spice saying that of Tellius' mage classes, he prefers the Wing Mage.

"Leo, when we reach a good point in the story for a break, remind me to show you a favorite video of mine," Spice says. "The Green Scorpion's Top Ten Video Game Aeromancers."

 **"Soldier class, Radiant Dawn version." I said.**

"The ever reliable Soldier," Hinoka says proudly. "Not the most noteworthy of fighters, but are the unsung heroes of the battlefield."

 **[Well you're are a real piece of work, flinging everything that I'm not expecting at me. Okay so just a quick reminder, as a Tellius soldier has the advanced class of Halberdier and then to Sentinel.]**

"Two class progressions…?" Ryoma and Xander both muse at the same time, getting a chuckle from Spice.

"Yeah, haven't played any games from the Tellius Saga myself, but I do know that class advancement in Tellius, particularly in Radiant Dawn, is much more linear than in other Fire Emblem games. For instance, a Mage in Radiant Dawn, depending on their starting specialization, would progress first into their elemental Sage class, and finally into an Archsage."

 **"I loved that Radiant Dawn had two class advances." I said smiling, "Yeah I'm sure."**

 **[Okay then, now just as a quick reminder, you're not playing a video game, so you are not limited to just using Spears, in fact you can use just about any weapon if you want... Well not tomes, scrolls or staves seeing as you didn't chose a magical class to fight as.]**

"So he can use just about any physical weapon he gets his hands on?" Elise asks excitedly.

"Yes," Spice says with a nod, "including magic weapons such as the Levin Sword."

"So cool!" Elise cheers, bringing a smile to all of the royals (minus Takumi, fudging prick) at her child-like enthusiasm.

 **[Anyway, let's get yours stats set up.]**

 **[Name: Irwin]**

 **[Lvl: 1]**

 **[EXP 0/ 100]**

 **[Race: Branded]**

 **[Gender: Male]**

 **[HP: 20/20]**

 **[Strength: 8]**

 **[Magic: 0]**

 **[Skill: 8]**

 **[Speed: 8]**

 **[Defense: 7]**

 **[Resistance: 2]**

 **[Luck: 0]**

"A fairly balanced layout for one like him," Ryoma comments. "Though I wouldn't exactly call him mage-proof."

 **"I'm not liking my Luck, but that'll go up in time." I said to myself.**

"I was going to comment about that, myself," Leo admits.

 **[And now your Branded Blood will give you a random stat boost.]**

 **"I wonder what I'll get?" I asked myself.**

"Agreed," most of the royals (three guesses who the odd prick out is) agree in unison.

 **[Resistance +1]**

 **Okay a boost to one of my dangerously low stats, good.**

"His Resistance is still pretty low even with his Branded bonus," Hinoka comments.

"I-it is a start, though," Sakura says.

 **[Now for some basic equipment so you can blend in.]**

 **With that a flash filled my vision and I found myself in an iron hauberk, holding an Iron Lance and an iron shield. My clothes having a slightly green tint to them, I guess I could say I'm a Crimean with this armor... In fact it might be a good idea to build myself a cover story before I meet people.**

"'Crimean?'" Hinoka wonders.

"I imagine it refers to people of a kingdom from Tellius," Ryoma replies.

"One of… eight kingdoms if I remember correctly," Spice clarifies. "I don't exactly know the terrain of Tellius, so I can't say where exactly Crimea is located, nor do I really know anything about the overall culture of Tellius, other than the stance of humanity, or the Beorc, as we're known as in Tellius, in general with regards to the Laguz."

 **[There you go, how seeing as you chose to more or less follow the Soldier path you will start with a 'D' Rank for Lances while everything else will start at 'E' Rank skill.]**

 **"What about Skills?" I asked.**

 **[You can gain Skills through moments of sheer luck, doing something specific, upon a Level up, or by using Skill Scrolls that you found or bought.]**

 **"Fair enough." I said adjusting my grip on my lance.**

 **[You'll also be given a Vulnernary in your inventory to help keep yourself alive when you're injured.]**

"Well, at least he'll have something to help him recover from his injuries," Corrin says.

 **[I think that's everything, you should be all ready to go, if I've forgotten anything you can review it in your Help tab.]**

 **With that, my vision vanished a flash of blue light.**

 **'I wonder where I'll end up, Nohr or Hoshido.' I thought as my vision faded, 'I kinda want to end up in Nohr to meet up with Corrin sooner, but Hoshido is so much cheerier... wait is Corrin going to be a he or she?'**

"Wait, what?" Corrin asks, her mind blanking at Irwin wondering if she'd be male or female.

"Yeah, there are countless realms like yours, Princess Corrin, and in each of them the chances of you being either male or female is pretty much an even 50/50 split," Spice explains as he puts a bookmark, which was shaped and colored like an Eevee's tail, at the next chapter and closes the book. "Phoenix specifically requested that I grab a female version of you for this reading and well… here you are."

"Seriously?" Camilla asks.

"Yeah, and Phoenix Champion, the guy who's writing this story, knows a male version of Princess Corrin here who is basically an observer god with a mischievous streak and prefers calling himself Swift," Spice says with a completely straight face. The nobles didn't even realize that he'd taken off his helmet before he began reading, letting them see his brown hair, which was currently smooth and flat because of his helmet, green-brown eyes, and steel-blue glasses.

The royals did not know how to respond to that, making Spice snicker as he stops himself from outright laughing at the looks on their faces, especially Corrin's. He soon calms down and hands the book to Corrin. "Alright then, Princess Corrin, it's time for you to start Chapter 2."

* * *

 **The screen goes to static before showing the Cross-Dimensional Database System beginning to crack into some manner of secure database system in what looks similar to a game of Pac-Man, except the Pac-Man is white and incredibly light blue (it's such a shade of blue it almost looks white) chibi MS-05 Zaku I and the Ghosts are color-coded chibi RGM-79 GMs with Beam Sabers.**


	4. Chapter 2

**The chibi Zaku I continues navigating the Pac-Man maze, doing its level best to evade the chibi GMs as it collects bytes of data.**

* * *

Spice, after having handed the book to Corrin, looks down at his datapad and goes to inform the royals of something Phoenix had informed him of, but is cut off before he can start by a portal forms in the middle of the room. "Hey there, couldn't help but hear someone say my name!" A notably masculine voice says as the rift begins to stabilize, making Spice roll his eyes with a grin while the royals all start freaking out.

"What the?!" Ryoma shouts in surprise.

'Speak of the devil, and he shall appear,' Spice thinks to himself before muttering "Well this oughta be good."

The portal finishes stabilizing, allowing everyone in the Hephaestus' officers' lounge see that person on the other side looked exactly like Princess Corrin… if she were male and had short, brown hair that was swept back. This was King Corrin of Valla, or, as those like Phoenix Champion and Spice himself know the man as: Swift.

"So, just wanted to drop on by and see how everything began again for me and my siblings, although, the "me" with you guys is a girl," Swift starts while looking at Princess Corrin with a raised eyebrow. "Kinda weird to see Takumi being a prick again though, I mean, the one in my world has mellowed out a lot and is actually decently nice to other people, but then again, it did take a while for someone to pull that stick out of his ass. Took Ryoma taking him to task to finally set him straight," Swift continues with a chuckle before grinning. "Hey, funny thing, well, cute thing really, but meet my daughter." Swift then reaches to outside the portal's view and shows them a baby girl with black hair and amber eyes. "I called her Ember instead of Kana like every other version of me has been doing," Swift says, then clears his throat. "Anyway, hope you guys have fun watching how things turn out and realise you were wrong about a few things." Swift finishes with a smile and wave before the portal closes.

All of the royals just looked at where the portal was dumbfounded before Azura is the first to find her voice again. "Who… was that?"

"Swift," Spice says with the most mischievous smirk imaginable before clearing his throat to pull the rest of the royals out of their stupor and get their attention. "Anyways, as I was planning to say before Swift decided to be the omniscient troll that he is, I got an update from Phoenix about the infantry classes of Tellius."

"Oh?" Leo says, intrigued.

"Yeah, Mages aren't the only Tellian classes that are divided into different specializations," Spice relays. "Cavaliers and Knights in Tellius also prefer to specialize, in one of four weapons for Cavaliers and one of three for the Knights. Tellian Cavaliers are divided into the Sword, Lance, Axe, and Bow Knight classes, while Tellian Knights are divided into the Sword, Lance, and Axe Armor classes."

"So then that would mean…" Xander starts, with Spice ending his thought.

"That an experienced Tellian Knight that started out as a Sword Armor would pose a pretty big threat to anything draconic that doesn't deal Magic Damage if given a Wyrmslayer, yes."

"The more you know," Ryoma muses, prompting Corrin to nod before she cracked open the book and begin reading the second chapter.

 **I found myself snapping my eyes open in a really dreary looking place.**

 **Dark cloudy skies, lifeless land, my back leaning up against a dead tree.**

"So, Irwin's starting off in our home, then," Leo says, getting a nod from Xander, Camilla, and Elise.

 **"Yep, this is Nohr alright." I muttered to myself as I stood up, picking up the Iron Lance and shield that sat next to me, "So now it's the million dol- er... gold question, who or what am I gonna run into first?"**

"A good thing to worry about," Ryoma says.

"Yes, especially given the barren state of Nohr," Xander admits. "One thing I've always hated about home: our bandit problem is much worse than Hoshido's."

"Agreed," Camilla, Leo, Elise, and Corrin all say in unison.

 **It was a valid question to ponder as I started walking.**

 **I could run into bandits, Faceless, some generic Nohrians, the Nohrian royal family (Not including Garon of course), I could even have some really crappy luck and run into Rinkah and Kaze and find myself sitting in a not so cozy Nohrian prison cell.**

"So that's what happened to those two," Ryoma mutters to himself.

 **Personally I don't want to be caught in that last one.**

"I don't think anyone would want to be caught in that last one," Hinoka quips.

"Agreed," Everyone else (yes, even Takumi) agrees all at once.

 **"You know, I should probably be making a plan for the story..." I mused, "First and foremost is making damn well sure Queen Mikoto doesn't die... But how?"**

"Wait, what?" The royals all ask at once before looking to Spice.

"Long story short from what I've gathered, King Garon gives Corrin a cursed sword, Corrin ends up in Hoshido, and a third party uses said cursed sword as pretty much a magic fragmentation grenade, which Queen Mikoto throws herself in front of, sacrificing herself to save Corrin from death," Spice explains, drawing gasps of shock and surprise from everyone.

"Who would do such a thing?" Ryoma asks.

"To put it simply, someone who wants both Nohr _and_ Hoshido wiped off the map," Spice replies gravely, "and is all too willing to instigate a war between your two kingdoms to do so."

 **That's the real issue with trying to save Mikoto, the 'how'?**

 **Sure I could tackle her down, but that would likely end up getting Corrin killed. I could tackle Corrin down before Mikoto moves in front of him/her (Really should figure that one out soon.) but Mikoto would probably still try to throw herself in front of the shards of Ganglari.**

"I'm guessing Ganglari is the name of that cursed sword you mentioned?" Xander asks.

"Yep," Spice says curtly. "Without even knowing what your world was like going into this story, the name alone gave me a bad feeling."

 **I could throw myself in front of the attack and hope for the best, but one thing bad that'll come from saving Mikoto is Corrin not being able to attain their Dragon Form, nor would they regain their memories from before Garon kidnapped them.**

The Hoshidan royals glare at the Nohrian royals at the mention of that, prompting the individuals in question to rightfully look away in shame, and for Corrin to look between the two groups in confusion.

Spice notes her confusion and mouths "later," to her, satisfying the princess for now as she continues reading.

 **"Jeez, this is a tough dilemma." I said, "Maybe I should have gone with a Knight Class instead, I wouldn't be able to move very fast but I would still be a damn good wall for Mikoto."**

 **Continuing on the road I was on I decided it would probably be best if I changed my thoughts away from trying to save a mother that predicted her own death and is all but ready to throw herself in front of a lethal blow for her child and work on something much easier for me.**

"M-mother actually _predicted_ that saving Corrin from G-ganglari's destruction would kill her...?" Sakura asks, getting a solemn nod from Spice.

 **My cover story.**

 **"Okay, if anyone asks me where I'm from I'll tell them I'm a very lost traveler from the distant continent of Tellius, more specifically I'm a Branded of the Kingdom of Crimea." I mused, "And if they ask what a Branded is give them a short answer, if they ask who my Laguz Parent is, tell them I don't know."**

"I'll admit, when my other hears that, he's probably going to be skeptical," Leo says. "I know I would be."

"At least it isn't your typical amnesia tale," Spice quips with a smirk.

"Agreed," Camilla says with a giggle.

 **That part is actually a little true, seeing as my mom died not too long after I was born, so I really don't know her all too well.**

That caused Azura to cringe, since she herself had lost her own mother.

 **"Actually, I gotta wonder what my Laguz Blood involves?" I muttered as I stepped over a root of a dead tree, "Seriously it really does matter in the world of Fates."**

"How so?" Hinoka and Camilla ask in unison, drawing a chuckle from Spice.

"Well, a Branded _is_ the child of a Beorc and a Laguz," Spice clarifies. "If Irwin's ancestry on the Laguz side stems from the Goldoan Dragons..."

"Then he might be able to use Dragon Veins," Leo says with a smirk and humorous chuckle, easily picking up on what Spice was getting at.

 **I'm not kidding, if I had the blood of a Dragon Laguz in my vein that actually brings up a rather curious question, could I possibly use Dragon Veins if I had Goldoan Dragon Blood in my veins?**

 **Well that requires a Dragon Vein for me to test it out on really... and if I do have the power to use Dragon Veins I'm probably going to wait until after Corrin has chosen their path before attempting to use them, just so I don't have to worry about unnecessary questions coming from the royal family too early.**

"A wise decision," Xander notes, with Ryoma nodding in agreement.

 **At that's when I noticed a group of people.**

"Time to see who he encounters first," Hinoka says.

 **Good news for me was that it wasn't Kaze and Rinkah.**

"Not going to end up in one of Castle Krakenburg's prison cells, then," Xander says.

'Is that a hint of relief I'm detecting in his tone?' Spice thinks to himself.

 **Even better news was that it wasn't a group of Faceless.**

"Which leaves us, or Bandits," Camilla says with a thoughtful expression, getting nods from the rest of the Nohrian royals.

 **Bad news was, it was a group of bandit's, judging from the rag tag outfits these guys were wearing.**

"Bandits it is, then," Leo says.

 **"Okay so what do we have here?" I asked, scanning the group, not getting that 'You've gotten the observe skill' thing seeing as it isn't a Fire Emblem Skill.**

"Let me guess, another common skill associated with The Gamer?" Leo asks.

"Yep," Spice replies. "Seeing as Observe, as the story already mentioned, isn't a skill from Fire Emblem, Irwin's Gamer System passively gives him the benefits of Observe by default. In systems where Observe is an actual skill, though, it's The Gamer's primary info gathering tool. Just look at something or someone, hit 'Observe', and The Gamer can get all kinds of info depending on how leveled their Observe Skill is. The higher the skill's level, the more detailed, or snarky, the info gathered from using it."

"Snarky?" Ryoma repeats, looking at Spice with a raised eyebrow.

"Yep," Spice says. "Like if a Gamer were to observe a rock with a lvl 9 Observe Skill."

That got a few royals to blink before they decided not to question why anyone in their right mind would do that, before simply returning to the story.

 **1..2..3 Mercenary Class unit's, 3 Fighter Units, 2 Outlaw units, A Cavalier holding that lump of junk called a 'Javelin' (That thing is** _ **not**_ **a javelin, and I'm going to make some to show these people what a Javelin is), a Dark Mage (Shit), and... Oh hey there's Camilla.**

"Wait, me/sister?" Camilla and the other Nohrian royals (plus Corrin) ask simultaneously.

 **"Okay, I don't think it's a good idea to- Wait Camilla?" I asked looking again.**

 **Sure enough, Camilla was there on her Wyvern, her Steel Axe at the ready. Next to her were Leo on his horse with his Byrnhildr Tome at the ready, Xander with his sword Siegfried at the ready while he was on his horse, Elise surprisingly with a heal staff held in her hands, and princ** _ **ess**_ **Corrin standing next to Elise however Corrin was unarmed at the moment.**

"I stand corrected, bandits _and us_ , apparently," Leo says, blinking in surprise.

"I wonder why we're there, though," Elise wonders.

"Plus, those bandits are facing our others," Xander notices. "Whatever we were doing with Corrin outside of the Northern Fortress, those bandits will have to be taken care of before we can return."

 **"Well shit." I said, "Well those Bandit's must have more balls than brains."**

 **Right as I said that one of the Fighters lunged at Camilla, only to be knocked aside by a tree suddenly appearing and blasting him away, courtesy of Leo.**

"Idiot," All of the royals say in a unison deadpan upon witnessing the sheer stupidity of the bandits.

 **"Correction, all balls, no brains." I said, even I'm not dumb enough to try a head on attack at the Royal family, "Well it** _ **is**_ **free EXP for me I suppose..." I mused to convince myself.**

 **With that I ran up behind one of the Mercenaries that had his back turned to me.**

"Time for Irwin's first battle in our world," Leo says, getting nods from all of the royals, minus Takumi, curious to see how Irwin fares.

 **[Mercenary: Lvl 1]**

 **[HP: 17/17, STR: 5, DEF: 5]**

 **'Glad to know the Game only gives me what I need to know at the moment.' I thought.**

 **Stepping close behind the man I gave a wide Swing with my iron lance, blindsiding him.**

 **"GYA!" The Mercenary shouted as he stumbled forward, taking 10 Damage.**

 **Now, seeing as this isn't a game I gave him a 'poke' in the back, dealing another 10 damage and killing the guy.**

"Quick and efficient," Xander notes, intrigued by Irwin's fighting style.

"His style is certainly more acrobatic than a Nohrian Lancer," Leo says. "Not as flashy as a Hoshidan Spear Fighter's, though."

"Even with the flourishes, I must admit, I have yet to see a Spear Fighter or Sky Knight really try to slash with a Naginata," Ryoma admits with a sigh. "A shame, too. You'd think that with the shape of the blade, they'd try using the weapon as a sword with greater reach more often."

"Maybe I should try practicing slashing with my naginata," Hinoka muses.

"The simulated arena should be up and running by now," Spice says. "You can practice expanding your repertoire of naginata moves there when we hit a good point for a break."

Hinoka nods before motioning for Corrin to continue.

 **[+30 EXP]**

 **"GYAHA!" The Merc cried out as he fell forward, I took his Bronze Sword from him as he fell.**

 **Looking over I noticed an Outlaw sneaking up behind Corrin and Elise.**

All of the royals go wide-eyed as they see the Outlaw readying his bow, with Elise rushing and huddling up to Corrin in fear before Camilla and Hinoka pull the two into a protective embrace.

Spice looks to the four before looking to Xander and Ryoma, who pick up his non-verbal cue and move to help Corrin escape the grasp of two over-protective older sisters. After calming the four princesses down and getting Camilla and Hinoka (Elise refused to leave Corrin's lap, no matter how much Xander tried to coax her back to her assigned seat) back to their seats, Corrin took a deep breath before continuing to read.

 **'Don't you dare miss Irwin.' I thought throwing the sword toward the Outlaw.**

 **[Corrin P.O.V.]**

"P.O.V.?" Corrin wonders.

"Point Of View," Spice clarifies. "Basically, we're seeing things from your perspective now, Princess Corrin."

"Huh," she says before returning to reading.

 **[Moment's prior to the battle]**

 **"Are you sure this is okay?" I asked Camilla.**

"Considering what our others about to run into," Xander comments, "I'm inclined to say no."

 **"Of course it is dear little sister." Camilla said with a smile, "All the guards have been given the day off, and none of us are going to talk about this. Right?" Camilla said that last word with a growl.**

"Big sis really can be scary when she wants to be," Elise says, making Camilla smirk and cross her arms.

 **"I think Corrin does need some time outside of the Northern Fortress every now and then." My brother Leo said.**

"Did your other really mean that, or were you simply staying on Camilla's good side?" Spice asks the younger Nohrian prince out of curiosity.

"I imagine it was some of both, personally," Leo says. "As much as I fear how overprotective and doting Camilla is with Corrin, I do admit that it is good to get some fresh air now and then, even if the air at home isn't exactly what I'd call fresh."

 **"I can't believe you actually convinced me to do this." Xander said with a sigh, "Father expressly said Corrin was not to leave the fortress until she was ready to fight."**

 **"You can test big sister tomorrow Xander." Elise said defending me, "Let her enjoy this moment."**

 **"Very well." Xander said with a sigh, "But Corrin you better be prepared to duel me tomorrow."**

"Would it be possible for Corrin and I to use this 'simulated arena' of yours so that I may test her?" Xander asks.

"Won't be any Dragon Veins for you to use," Spice warns, "but yes. When we hit a good break point."

 **"I will be brother." I said, just moments before we came to a sudden stop.**

"I guess we just met the bandits," Elise says, getting nods from Xander, Camilla, Leo, and Corrin.

 **"Oh dear." Leo said.**

 **"Bandits, that's a little annoying." Camilla said as she slipped her axe off her back.**

 **"Maybe we can go around them?" Elise wondered.**

 **At that moment the bandit's noticed us, and a Fighter type bandit leapt at Camilla with his Bronze Axe raised.**

 **"No you don't." Leo said as he conjured a tree that knocked the man back.**

"Idiot," The gathered nobles all reiterate upon witnessing that particular bandit's stupidity for the second time that chapter.

 **"Get them!" The sole Cavalier of the group shouted.**

 **"Corrin, stay by Elise." Xander ordered as he got ready to charge in.**

"Good idea, considering my other isn't armed at the moment," Corrin muses. "Nor am I, really…"

"I've arranged something with Phoenix to rectify that for you, princess," Spice says. "You won't be getting it for a bit, though."

Corrin looks at Spice and smiles with a nod before returning to the book.

 **Before I could say anything I noticed something happening in the back of the group of bandits.**

"Looks like my other just found Irwin," Corrin notes as she keeps reading.

 **A man holding an iron lance, wearing only a hauberk as armor, a green short sleeved shirt, loose tan pants, and brown boots, ran up behind one of the Mercenaries that were with the bandits and slashed the man in the back before stabbing, not letting the man get a chance to retaliate.**

"Yep, that's Irwin, alright," Hinoka says with a nod.

 **"Wait, there's someone else fighting these Bandit's!" I called out.**

 **"I see him." Xander said looking at the Lancer... although his fighting style already seemed different from the Lancer's I had seen around the Fortress when they were practicing.**

 **At that moment the Lancer grabbed the Bronze Sword from the Mercenary and threw it... at ME!**

"Don't you dare miss that Outlaw, Irwin," Camilla growls protectively.

 **"Corrin!" Camilla cried out seeing the sword fly at me... and right past me.**

 **"GYAH!" A voice from behind shouted out, causing me to spin around with Elise.**

 **An Outlaw classed bandit had snuck up behind us and intended to kill either me or Elise, but the bronze Sword had impaled the man before he could notch an arrow.**

The royal families (minus Takumi) breathed a sigh of relief as they saw the Outlaw impaled on the Bronze Sword blade-first and Corrin unscathed.

 **"Corrin, Elise, are you two alright?" Xander asked.**

 **"We're fine." I breathed, "But the guy that threw the sword at me just saved my life."**

 **"I'd like to thank the man, but after we've dealt with these guys." Camilla said turning to and flying after the Dark Mage.**

"I'd have to agree with my other," Camilla says with a nod. "Finish off the bandits, _then_ thank Irwin for saving my precious little Corrin."

 **I nodded and pulled the Bronze Sword from the Outlaw behind me, I should try to reach that Lancer before the battle ends and he slips away before we can thank him.**

 **[Irwin's P.O.V.]**

 **[+30 EXP]**

 **'I hit the Outlaw!' I thought in cheer... just before I had a fighter bear down on me.**

"That could be troublesome for Irwin," Leo says. "Spear wielders have a natural disadvantage against axes, after all…"

 **[Fighter: Lvl 1]**

 **[HP: 19/19, STR: 7, DEF: 4]**

 **"Whoa!" I shouted as I blocked the axe with my shield, then stabbed before he could jump back, dealing 19 damage, then made a side slash while he stumbled back to finish him off.**

"It's a shame Nohrian lancers don't use their shields more often," Xander sighs, noting how effectively Irwin used his shield to turn around a disadvantageous situation.

 **[+30 EXP]**

 **I picked up the dead Fighter's Bronze Axe and set in in a small loop on my belt to hold for the moment, seeing as I don't plan to reveal my Inventory skill just yet.**

"A good idea, all things considered," Xander says with an approving nod. "Plus, with the axe held on his belt, he'll have quick and easy access to it should he need the axe in a fight."

 **I soon noticed that Camilla had taken care of the Dark Mage, much to my relief.**

"No mere mage is a match for me and Marziah," Camilla says proudly while crossing her arms under her massive bust. "Especially not a petty bandit like that."

 **I also noticed Corrin was taking on the Fighter that had been knocked back by Leo, so naturally I ran in to help.**

 **By the time I reached her she had beaten the Fighter, however an Outlaw had already aimed at her.**

"And enter Irwin to stop Corrin from getting shot by an arrow," Leo says with a smile. "His second time in half as many days."

 **"Watch out!" I called pushing the 'Nohrian' Princess aside.**

 **[Corrin's P.O.V.]**

 **"Watch out!" A voice called, just before I got pushed aside.**

 **Looking at the person who pushed me, I saw it was the Lancer from across the field, up close I noticed his hair was short and black, and he had deep green eyes. And the reason he pushed me aside was to block an arrow that an Outlaw had shot at me.**

Once more the Royal families, minus Takumi, sighed in relief as they watch Irwin stop an attack meant for Corrin.

 **"Thank you." I said.**

 **[Irwin's P.O.V.]**

 **"Thank you." Corrin said just as Xander cut down the Outlaw.**

 **"No problem." I said, "Just remember to check behind you every so often when you aren't in the middle of a fight."**

"You would be wise to heed Irwin's advice, Corrin," Xander says.

"Of course, Xander," Corrin says with a smile. "When we get back home, I'll be sure to watch my back when I can out in the field." With that said, Corrin went back to the book.

 **"I'll try." Corrin said as she re-adjusted her grip on her sword, "Listen, after the fight, could you stick around so my siblings and I can properly thank you for your help?"**

"Considering he saved her twice in half as many battles, I imagine my other would very much like to thank him," Camilla says with a smile, getting nods from Xander, Leo, and Elise.

 **"Sure why not?" I said with a shrug, "It's not like I have anywhere to be right now."**

 **"Thank you." Corrin said.**

 **At that moment the Cavalier rode right toward us.**

 **[Cavalier: Lvl 2]**

 **[HP: 18/18, STR: 7, DEF: 5]**

 **"Why can things never be easy." The man groaned as he gave his Javelin a twirl.**

"Because bandits who seek only to harm others and take wealth for themselves deserve whatever happens to them," Spice says, getting nods from all of the royals, especially Takumi.

 **"Are you ready for this?" I asked Corrin as she took her stance.**

 **"Ready as I'll ever be." Corrin said.**

"Here's hoping that Corrin will be alright," Ryoma says, getting a nod from Xander, Hinoka, Sakura, Camilla, Elise, and Azura.

 **The Cavalier lunged at Corrin, who jumped back from the attack before jumping in and slashing at the man, Dealing 8 Damage.**

 **As I gripped my Lance to strike I felt a surge of strength come forth from my body.**

"A critical hit," Leo says with a knowing smirk. "That bandit is finished."

 **[Critical Hit activated]**

 **"Let me show you Crimean Strength!" I shouted running up to the man, before making an upward strike that pulled me into the air with a single spin before I slashed back down, sending the man flying off his horse and dealing 30 damage.**

Xander and Ryoma both let out a whistle as they watch Irwin dispatch the Cavalier, once more getting a chuckle out of Spice.

 **[Level up!]**

 **[HP= 20 +1]**

 **[STR= 8 +1]**

 **[MAG= 0]**

 **[SKL= 8]**

 **[SPD= 8]**

 **[LCK= 0]**

 **[DEF= 7 +1]**

 **[RES=3]**

 **"Not too bad, maybe I can make it way out here." I mumbled to myself seeing my stat growth, wish my Resistance went up though.**

"Give it time, Irwin," Ryoma says, even though he knows Irwin can't hear him.

 **Looking around I noticed that all the other bandits had been taken down and the rest of the royal family were making their way toward me... Except Camilla was going full speed on her Wyvern.**

"That's a fast Wyvern," Spice with a low whistle.

"Part of the reason I chose Marziah," Camilla says with a loving smile. "When it came time for me to choose and tame my wyvern hatchling, Marziah was the fastest of the bunch."

 **"Whoa!" I shouted hiding behind my shield.**

"A rather fitting reflex reaction, considering our dear sister," Xander notes, getting nods from Leo and Corrin, and a pout from Camilla.

 **That turned out not to be necessary as Camilla's Wyvern stopped a few feet away from me and Corrin, with Camilla expertly jumping off the Wyverns back and grabbing Corrin and pulling her into a rather excessive hug, getting the young princess caught in the older princess's rather large rack.**

The royal families all turn and just stare at Camilla, who has the decency to blush at the sudden shift in attention. It passes after about 10 seconds and everyone returns their attention to the screen as Corrin resumes reading.

 **"Oh Corrin are you okay?" Camilla asked dotingly, "I'm sorry I wasn't expecting this to happen during our walk."**

 **At this point Corrin was starting to flail about slightly, most likely due to lack of oxygen.**

 **"Uh... excuse me, but I think Corrin can't breath." I said.**

"I have had trouble breathing in the past whenever Camilla hugs me," Corrin admits with a sheepish chuckle, prompting her adopted older sister to blush in embarrassment.

 **Camilla looked down to see that Corrin's face as lodged between her breast before she gasped and quickly pulled Corrin out of them, the latter of which let out a loud gasp of air.**

 **After that her head snapped toward me and the words that passed through my head were, 'Oh shit.'**

 **"Thank you for stopping that Outlaw from shooting my dear Corrin in the back." Camilla said.**

 **"No problem Ma'am." I said, I'm just going to leave out the part where that throw was purely blind.**

"A wise decision, all things considered," Leo says while he and all of the royals sweatdrop at that particular revelation.

 **Camilla just chuckled, "It's Camilla to you sir." Camilla said firmly.**

 **"Well, my name is Irwin." I introduced strapping my Lance to my back.**

 **"It's nice to meet you Irwin." Corrin said slipping out of her sisters grasp, "I'm Camilla's younger sister Corrin, the man with the Sword is my brother Xander, the one with the tome in his hand is my brother Leo, and my younger sister with the staff is Elise."**

 **"It's nice to meet all of you." I said.**

 **"Hmm..." Leo said examining me, "Your armor reminds me of Nohrian, but your fighting style isn't Nohrian, or even Hoshidan... Who exactly are you?"**

"Leo!" Elise says, preparing to scold her older brother for going straight to interrogating Irwin.

"It's my other doing the interrogating, Elise," Leo sighs, then mutters, "though I can't say I wouldn't have done the same myself the moment I noticed how different his armor was…"

 **"Leo! Don't start interrogating him, he just saved Corrin. Twice!" Elise said.**

 **"I'm with Leo on this." Xander said, "It could very well just be a ploy to earn our trust only to betray it."**

Spice idly looks towards the Hoshidan royal family, only to glare as he catches Takumi rolling his eyes. "Don't you dare roll your eyes, Prince Takumi, you'd be saying the same damn thing in Xander's position."

Takumi flinches when he hears Spice chastising him, only to cross his arms and huff while looking away like a spoiled brat who just got scolded… which he was.

 **I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, "Well to be honest, I'm not from Nohr, or Hoshido for that matter."**

 **"SO where are you from?" Corrin asked, "Back when we were fighting that Cavalier you shouted something about Crimean."**

"Time for Irwin's cover story, and my other's skepticism," Leo says with a sigh.

 **"So you caught that did you?" I asked, honestly I didn't put much thought into my critical hit shout , I just chose to wing it, "Well Crimea is my homeland, it's a Kingdom of the continent of Tellius."**

 **"Never heard of it, where is Tellius?" Xander asked.**

 **I sighed, "I wish I could say, but after taking three ships and getting caught in three storms out at sea I've pretty much lost all sense of ocean navigation." I said holding my hands out.**

 **"Sounds rather convenient to me..." Leo said skeptically.**

"Convenient, but believable," Xander says with a nod. "You'd have to be pretty unlucky to be caught in three storms out at sea while aboard as many ships, but it wouldn't exactly be unheard of."

"I have to agree with you there, princeling," Ryoma says, "and I do not envy the person who can say that such has indeed happened to them."

 **I chuckled, "Yeah it does sound that way, but it's not your typical amnesia story that's for sure."**

 **"Well that is true I suppose." Camilla said, "He doesn't look to be Hoshidan either so there may be some sense of truth to his story."**

"His attire really does lend credence to his story," Hinoka notes, getting a round of nods from the other royals, minus Takumi.

 **"Thank you Camilla." I said looking at her and nodding.**

 **Leo then turned to Xander and lowered his voice, if not by much, "Perhaps it would be best if we kept an eye on this man."**

 **Xander looked back to Leo, "Let's see what more we can learn from him before we start trying to come up with it." Xander said.**

 **"I can hear you." I said flatly, causing the brothers to look back at me, "It's not nice to whisper about people."**

"Probably didn't help that Xander's and my others weren't exactly being subtle about it," Leo says with a sweatdrop.

"No, it really didn't," Spice says before motioning for Corrin to continue.

 **"My apologies." Leo said.**

 **"Excuse me, Irwin?" Elise asked.**

 **"Yes miss?" I asked.**

 **"What kind of fighting style was that?" Elise asked, "I mean it seemed to be more acrobatic than a Nohrian Fighting style, but less acrobatic than Hoshidan and definitely lacking the flourishes."**

"I'm guessing it's the practiced style for Soldier-class warriors in this Tellius place," Ryoma says.

 **I smiled, "It's a common fighting style for anyone from Tellius who trains in the Soldier, Halberdier, or Sentinel class fighting styles." I explained, "The people from Tellius strive to not let any soldier be held back due to the fighting style they choose to follow."**

"Guess I called it," Ryoma says with an amused smirk.

 **"I see..." Leo said, "I suppose our Lancers are fairly limited in their combat capabilities."**

 **"Perhaps we can finish this conversation in the Northern Fortress." Xander said, "I'd rather not wait here for more bandits to show up and attack."**

"I have to agree with my other. Being out in the open like that is not exactly the best place to make conversation," Xander says. "Especially with the ever present annoyance of roaming bandits."

 **"Xander has a point." Corrin said, "I don't want to be caught in another ambush."**

 **"Fair enough." I said, "Lead the way."**

 **When the group turned their back I quickly spun back and grabbed the 'Javelin' from the Cavalier, as well as the Vulnerary he had on him before putting them in my Inventory and quickly following.**

"A smart move, all things considered," Leo says. "Especially taking the Vulnerary. Given their limited use, one can never truly have enough of those little life savers on hand."

"Agreed," All of the other royals say in unison, all fully knowing the unspoken value of the Vulnerary.

 **"Can you tell us more about Tellius when we get back to the Fortress?" Corrin asked.**

"I believe I speak for the rest of my family when I say that I'm curious to learn about this Tellius," Ryoma says, looking to Azura, Corrin, Hinoka, Sakura, and Takumi. All of them except for the last of the aforementioned nod in agreement.

"The same can be said of my family and I," Xander replies, looking to Azura, Corrin, Camilla, Elise, and Leo, who all nod.

 **"Of course." I said, "Although where to start is the real question."**

"And that's the chapter," Corrin says, placing the bookmark at the page for the next chapter before handing the book to Azura. At that moment, an aqua blue Haro rolls in on a Tenor, carrying a pile of weapons. The royals all smile as they see their weapons sheathed (and closed, in the case of the two Tomes in the pile) and in good condition.

"Ah, there they are, thank you, Aqua," Spice says to the Haro before getting up from his seat and starts returning each weapon to its rightful owner. Once the royals all had their weapons again, Spice nods to Aqua Haro, whose "eyes" flash twice before he rolls out of the room to return to his previous duties.

* * *

 **The Chibi Zaku I picks up a large, glowing data byte and transforms into a YMF-01B Proto GINN, making it faster and equipping it with a simple machine gun and sword to help defend itself as one of the Chibi GMs, the blue one, comes in sight of the now Proto GINN.**


	5. Chapter 3, part 1

**The Chibi Proto GINN barely manages to defeat the blue chibi GM, but quickly takes off in reverse while laying down suppressive fire when the other GMs show up, and manages to catch one in the optics with the first few bullets, effectively blinding the yellow GM.**

* * *

As Azura opened the book to begin reading the next chapter, Spice calls everyone's attention.

"Alright, everyone, this is the first of the chapters that delve into the history of Tellius, specifically the Kingdoms of Tellius and the three main races there," he explains. "It also delves into what I was referring to earlier when I said that the Branded don't exactly have the best lot in life."

The royals nod, all wondering why the Branded don't have it easy as Azura begins reading.

 **'I think I know which story to tell.' I confirmed as the six of us reached the Northern Fortress, not a guard in sight oddly enough although Lilith, still in her human form at this point of the story, came around to take Xander and Leo's horses to the stables.**

"'At this point in the story'?" Leo quotes looking to Spice.

"All I'm gonna say on the matter, since the story will cover the actual explanation for me, is that Lilith is far more than just a stable hand," Spice says before motioning for Azura to continue reading.

 **Walking inside we made our way to what I assume is Corrin's room, considering Jakob, Felicia, and Flora were all there waiting.**

Corrin gave a fond smile at the sight of her butler and her maids, something that does not go unmissed by Ryoma, Hinoka, and Sakura.

"You know them well, Corrin?" Ryoma asks.

"Yes, alongside Gunter, they are the ones who took care of me while I was still in the Northern Fortress. I'm very fond of them, even if Jakob can get a little overprotective at times," Corrin explains, satisfying the curiosity of her Hoshidan siblings.

'A _little_ overprotective?' Spice thinks incredulously as Azura resumes reading.

 **"Welcome home Lady Corrin." Flora said bowing toward Corrin, "I'm glad to see that you and your siblings are unharmed."**

 **"I am too Flora." Corrin said, "Especially considering we had a slight encounter with a group of bandits."**

 **"Bandits!?" Jakob shouted alarmed.**

 **"We're fine Jakob." Elise said, "Especially Corrin thanks to Irwin over here."**

 **"Hi." I said giving a small wave.**

 **"Irwin..." Jakob said thoughtfully, "You don't seem to dress like a Nohrian Lancer, even though you appear to be equipped as one."**

"I feel like this is going to end up being a sort of recurring thing," Corrin muses out loud to herself, "Irwin getting mistaken for a Nohrian."

"It does happen a few more times, yes," Spice confirms. "Mostly with Hoshidans."

Barely even a second later, the resounding sound of someone's hand meeting their head made everyone look to Ryoma, who had facepalmed and was currently shaking his head. "Can we just get back to the reading, please?" he requests, which made Azura nod after taking a moment to compose herself again and gets back to reading the book, the other royals returning their attention to the screen soon after.

 **"He claims he is from a land known as Tellius." Leo said, "Specifically from a Kingdom there known as Crimea, frankly I find that hard to believe."**

 **"Well like I said, I am willing to tell you more about Tellius if or when we were somewhere safer than the open road." I reminded.**

"And considering the Northern Fortress would most definitely qualify as somewhere safer than the open road…" Camilla trails off knowingly, having a good idea of what was coming soon.

 **"I'm interested in hearing what you have to say." Camilla said as she took a seat on Corrin's bed.**

 **"Very well." I said, "But you all might want to find some chair or something, this is gonna be a while."**

"Good idea, all things considered, Irwin has a lot to cover as a start," Spice comments.

 **At that moment everyone had gotten up to look for someplace to sit, Corrin had sat on an open end of her bed, with Elise jumping onto her lap, of course the others didn't have to look for seats for very long as Jakob, Flora, and Felicia had brought chairs themselves for them and us.**

"Three… Two… One…" Corrin whispers under her breath, making Azura look at her briefly with a raised eyebrow before shrugging and returning to the book.

 **"Whoa!" I heard Felicia shout, I turned around just in time to see a chair sliding toward me as Felicia had tripped on... something and caused her to accidentally throw the chair across the ground.**

'Felicia rolled a one on her Carry roll and tripped over an unseen, invisible, imaginary dead turtle, sending the chair she was carrying sliding across the ground,' Spice quips in his head at the scene.

The Hoshidan royals and Azura all sweatdropped at the sight of Felica on her face while the latter looks to Corrin. "How did you know that was going to happen?" she asks, dumbfounded.

"It's just something I've grown used to over the years," Corrin admits with a sigh. "Don't get me wrong, I love Felicia as a friend, and I truly couldn't ask for a more caring maid, but she just has the worst luck with the simplest of things at times."

 **I did managed to catch the chair though, so at least I didn't get hurt.**

 **"I-I'm sorry Irwin." Felicia said nervously, "I'm a little clumsy and-"**

 **"That's alright." I said sitting down, "I mean if you're still here then that means you're at least still good at your job."**

The royals (minus Takumi) all give a grateful smile at Irwin's calming down and reassuring Felicia.

 **Felicia blinked before she gave a small smile and got a seat of her own.**

 **"So, tell us about Tellius." Corrin said.**

All of the royals (even Takumi, to Spice's surprise) perk up and pay close attention as Azura continues reading, not wanting to miss a single detail of Irwin's recounting of Tellius.

 **"Well, the Continent of Tellius is split into seven different kingdoms, not counting the Desert of Death." I started, "These Kingdoms are Crimea, Daein, Begnion, Gallia, Phoenicis, Kilvas, and Goldoa."**

"Huh, that's a lot of kingdoms," Hinoka comments. "I'm sure that Tellius has had a few wars start up in the past."

 **"That's a lot of kingdoms for one continent." Camilla noted, "I'm certain they had a few wars start."**

"Huh, that's pretty much the exact same thing you said, Princess Hinoka" Camilla noted, surprised that her other and the Hoshidan princess had the same line of thought. Hinoka nodded in equally surprised agreement before motioning for Azura to continue.

 **"There are two notable wars, but that's a story for another time." I said, "Anyway, the Kingdoms of Crimea, Daein, and Begnion were ruled by the Beorc, or Humans as that is the more common term."**

 **"Why are Humans called Beorc?" Elise asked a little confused.**

"Did a bit of research on that myself," Spice says, getting everyone's attention. "In Tellius, the actual species name for the humans of Tellius is Beorc, and are, similarly to the shape-shifting Laguz, believed to be descended of an ancient race that previously dominated Tellius called the Zunanma. The Zunanma soon began developing separate desires as their race split and evolved into both the Beorc _and_ the Laguz, and soon began warring with each other until their Goddess, Ashunera, flooded the land in an outflowing of emotion. This emotional outburst also had the, perhaps unintended, side effect of causing the Dawn Goddess, as the Zunanma referred to her as, to split into two halves, I'll come back to that little factoid when the story itself does later. In Tellius, 'Human' is actually a counter-term coined by the Laguz in response to a derogatory term coined by the Beorc for the Laguz."

"What was that term?" Xander asked, curious.

"The story would've done this for me, but the derogatory term made by the Beorc for the Laguz is Sub-human," Spice says. "Most, if not all, Laguz tend to react… violently, when called that."

The royals all nod, intending to commit these facts to memory before Acura resumes reading.

 **"I'm getting to that." I said.**

 **"Oh, sorry." Elise said.**

 **"Anyway," I continued, "The other kingdoms, Gallia, Phoenicis, Kilvas, and Goldoa were ruled by the Laguz, the shape shifting races of Tellius."**

 **"Like the Wolfskins and Kitsune." Leo said.**

"Not surprised that my other made that comparison," Leo says. "It is a rather easy one to make."

"Agreed," the Nohrian and Hoshidan royals reply, having made the same comparison themselves.

 **"Don't know what those are, but probably the same general thing." I said despite knowing full well what those two races were, "Anyway Gallia was ruled by the Best Laguz tribe, which consisted of Cat's the size of tigers, Tigers, and Lion type Laguz. Phoenicis was ruled by the Hawk Laguz. Kilvas by the Raven Laguz, and Goldoa by the Dragon Laguz."**

 **"Dragons!?" Xander asked in surprise.**

"An understandable reaction for my other," Xander muses, nodding his head. "If it weren't for Spice having us read this story, I'd be shocked too to learn that there are an entire race of shape-shifters that can become dragons."

"Agreed," Ryoma replies, nodding as well.

 **"Yes, Dragon Laguz." I said, "There are two other types of Laguz, The Wolf Laguz of the desert Kingdom of Hatari, which was within the Desert of Death, and Heron Laguz, which originally lived in the Serenes Forest, but after a mass burning of the forest by the citizens of Begnion the Heron's were pushed to extinction, I'm not sure if they repopulated."**

Spice looked to the Royals at this revelation, and, sure enough, all of them, even Takumi, looked shocked, appalled, and/or furious at what happened to the Heron Laguz.

"How could an entire kingdom's populace be so cruel?" Ryoma snarled.

"The twisted machinations of corrupt politicians…" Spice laments before motioning for Azura to continue.

 **"Why would the people of Begnion burn a forest to kill an entire branch of the Laguz!?" Corrin cried out appalled, the others having similar looks of anger/horror on their faces.**

 **"The Laguz... Most Beorc don't take too kindly to them." I said sadly, "Most civilians are either scared or in hatred of them, calling them Sub-Humans. Begnion was a big aggressor of this, as Laguz were often the victims of Slavery, often in the homes of the corrupt senators of the Empire of Begnion."**

"The more I hear, the more I find myself hating Begnion," Hinoka growls, her hands clenching into fists.

"Agreed," all of the royals echo before Azura resumes reading.

 **"That's awful." Felicia said appalled.**

 **"It was." I said, "However at one point in time an Apostle of Begnion, who was also known as the Empress of Begnion, was assassinated by the Senate because she planned to reveal something to the public, something that would be disastrous to their teachings."**

"The Empress was a Branded, wasn't she?" Xander asks.

"Yep," Spice says, prompting a scowl to form on the Crown Prince of Nohr's face.

"Figures," he growls. "To think the nobility of a country would be willing to stoop so low…"

 **"And what is that?" Leo asked.**

 **"Her heritage." I said, getting some looks of confusion, "You see, all the Apostles of Begnion were of the same bloodline, a bloodline that was mixed of Beorc and Laguz Blood. We're called the Branded."**

 **"Hang on, 'We'?" Xander asked.**

"A reasonable question to ask," Ryoma comments with a nod. "It is the duty of the Crown Princes to learn as much as they can about any new developments that occur."

"Quite true, Prince Ryoma," Xander agrees with a nod.

 **I nodded, "I'm a Branded myself, we Branded look human in every way, save for a single Brand that appears on our bodies to show our heritage. This brand doesn't show up in every generation, but it definitely appears in the direct children of a Human and Laguz. We Branded... don't really have many special powers, save for a small few, usually we do gain something from our blood, some are naturally more proficient with a sword, others grow up to be great tacticians."**

"And others still hide their Brand as a Mark of Spirits and become powerful Mages," Spice comments, getting nods from the Royals as Azura resumes reading.

 **"What about the 'small few'?" Flora asked.**

 **"Well, only one comes to mind at the moment, but she had the unique ability to heal the wounds of others without a Staff or medicine." I said, "The price of this ability however, was that she would take the burden of the injuries she healed."**

"A power like that comes at a cost," Leo says, the other royals nodding in agreement.

 **"A power like that comes with a cost." Leo said.**

"Oh, look, an echo," Spice quips with an amused smirk on his face, prompting Camilla, Hinoka, Elise, Sakura, Corrin, and Azura to snicker as they hold back laughter while Leo flushes in embarrassment. Xander also snickers at his brother's expression while Ryoma fails to hold it in and starts laughing. Takumi simply smirks. Everyone calms down after a few minutes and Azura resumes reading.

 **"Yeah, nothing that powerful comes without a price." I said, "Anyway, when the Senate of Begnion assassinated the Apostle this threw the citizens into a panic and despair, and naturally the Senate had the perfect scapegoats. The Serenes Heron's that lived within Begnions borders, and with the people blind with despair and the thirst for vengeance they forgot one important detail about the Herons, the fact that no Heron has ever learned how to fight or harbored malignant feelings."**

A loud, wooden "Bang! Crash!" is soon heard, startling everyone except Xander as the startled individuals all look to Ryoma, who looked absolutely pissed and had smashed the nearby coffee table in his rage. The Crown Prince of Nohr may not have reacted as drastically, but the aura of killing intent made everyone subsequently look at him and see that his expression was one of smoldering, tranquil fury.

"…How about we all take a short break so that Xander and Ryoma can calm down?" Spice suggests after a minute, getting silent nods from the Royals as the two Crown Princes then walk out of the room. "ELFI, could you direct the Crown Princes of Nohr and Hoshido to the simulation arena, please?"

"Of course, Captain," ELFI replies over the intercom, drawing confusion from the remaining Royals. "Anything else?"

"How about some water for those of us still here?" Spice asks. "Bring some water for Ryoma and Xander as well, I get the feeling they'd appreciate it after they get back."

"Of course, captain," ELFI replies before cutting the feed.

"Who was that?" Hinoka asks.

"Electronic Logistics and Forgemaster Intelligence; ELFI for short," Spice clarifies. "She's the AI overseeing the Haros and will be the one in charge of maintenance and the production facilities once the Hephaestus is complete. Drinks should be here in about a minute, so how about I show you all that video I mentioned earlier while we wait for the two Crown Princes to get back?"

All of the remaining royals look to one another and converse briefly before looking to Spice and nodding.

* * *

 **ELFI: It would appear that this chapter of the reading shall have to be done in parts due to the reactions of the Crown Princes with regards to what befell the Heron Laguz. I suppose I should boot up The Green Scorpion's Top 10 Video Game Aeromancers for the reading group to enjoy while the Crown Princes vent their anger on simulated enemies...**

 **-back with the hacking program-**

 **The Chibi Proto-GINN finds a data cache with the red GM in the way.**


	6. Chapter 3, part 2

**The screen fades into static before going blank as a message appears via text, like writing a Word Document.**

 **Due to a fault in the recording equipment, the Impromptu Break footage and audio data is corrupted and requires extensive maintenance. It will be displayed at a later date, when the corruption has been properly addressed. The equipment as been updated to allow the Reading proper to continue uninterrupted.**

 **-ELFI**

* * *

Xander and Ryoma returned to the viewing room soon after the countdown video finished, now looking a lot less ready to commit murder. "You two cooled off now?" Spice asks, getting nods from the two Crown Princes. "Good, then we can continue. There's some water for you two as well, if you're thirsty."

Xander and Ryoma smile and nod thankfully, picking up their water bottles and taking their seats as Azura resumes reading.

 **Corrin gave a choking sound as she held back her tears, Elise almost doing the same. Camilla quickly pulled those two into a hug, "Perhaps it's best if we changed the subject." Camilla said looking at me.**

"Yes, please," Corrin requests as the reading resumes.

 **I nodded, I do** _ **not**_ **like thinking about what happened to the Heron Laguz.**

"I don't think _any_ of us do," Ryoma replies.

"Amen to that," Spice agrees with a nod.

 **"Can you tell us more about the Branded?" Leo said.**

 **"I can but it's not exactly happy." I said.**

"And somehow, I regret my other asking that," Leo says.

 **"It can not be much less happy than the massacre that happened to the Herons." Jakob said.**

"And you jinxed it, Jakob…" Corrin sighs.

 **"Just remember you asked for this." I warned pointing at Leo, "The Branded... we usually have it worse than the Laguz back in Tellius. While Beorc that discover our heritage treat us no better than the Laguz, the Laguz often treat us as if we don't exist."**

Most of the younger royals cringed as they heard about how the Branded are treated in Tellius.

 **"What!?" Corrin cried out, "Why?"**

 **"Not sure." I said, "It's been a long time since I was in Tellius and when I left every Kingdom was trying it's best to cut off these racial hatreds. Of course, being Branded we had several ways to hide from normal Beorc."**

The royal families all sigh in relief, hearing that Tellius was starting to come together and dispel the racial hatreds between Beorc and Laguz.

 **"How so?" Xander asked.**

 **"The easiest is simply to hide our Brand." I said, "Of course this can be easy or hard depending on where our Brand is. However anyone who practices the magical arts can pass off their Brand as a Mark of Spirits and pose as a Spirit Charmer, who had invited a spirit into their bodies to become more adept in magical practices."**

"Granted, even with larger brands, there are easy ways to hide it," Spice says, "like behind that giant turtle's shell of plate armor Knight classes like to call armor."

Their host's quip about how large and bulky Knight armor can get earns a round of snickers and chuckles from Xander, Camilla, Leo, Ryoma, and Hinoka, as well as giggles from Corrin, Azura, Elise, and Sakura. Takumi just snorts and rolls his eyes. Azura got her giggling under control after about a minute and resumed reading.

 **"Sounds simple enough." Leo said, "But it sounds like there's more to know."**

 **"Yeah, thing is that we Branded age slower than a Beorc." I said, "We live longer than the average normal humans, but not nearly as long as Laguz."**

"So even with hiding the Brand, it's not a perfect solution," Xander muses.

"Not really, no," Spice admits. "No matter how a Branded hides or passes off their Brand, people are gonna notice when a person who's, say, supposedly in their mid-20s to 30s looks like they're in their late teens to early 20s sooner or later."

 **"That has to be difficult to live with." Xander said.**

 **"It really can be unless you live the life of a hermit." I said, looking out the window, "Anyway that's really all I have to say on the matter of Tellius at the moment, plus I think it might be turning to night right about now."**

"Damn, that's dark," Spice says as he notices just how black Nohr's night is, before looking at the Nohrian royals. "How are you people even able to see in direct sunlight without being blinded if things get so dark in Nohr?"

"We tend to spend a night at an outcropping by the Bottomless Canyon so that our eyes can adapt in relative safely," Leo informs after noting that the Hoshidan royals were showing similar expressions of curiosity. "It's considered standard procedure whenever troops are deployed near the border, typically for patrols."

"The more you know, I guess," Spice muses before motioning for Azura to continue.

 **This caused everyone to look out the open window, "You're right Irwin, that story must have been longer than we thought."**

 **"So Leo, your verdict?" I asked the magic wielding prince.**

 **Leo was silent as he thought, "I'll need to contemplate this over night." Leo said before he got up and left.**

"I'm not surprised at my other's decision," Leo says. "Considering how late it is, I'd definitely want to sleep on such a decision so that I'm well rested before making any calls."

"Agreed," Xander, Ryoma, Camilla, and Hinoka all agree simultaneously.

 **"I'll go see if I can find a room for you for the night Irwin." Xander said as he left.**

 **"Felicia, Flora, could you go help Xander with the room?" Corrin asked.**

 **"Of course Milady." Flora said as she and her twin got up and left the room, the sound of a crash being heard soon after Felicia was out of sight.**

'Felicia rolled a one on her Maneuver roll and tripped over an invisible, unseen, imaginary, dead turtle,' Spice thinks to himself at the sound of Felicia tripping again while Corrin just sighs.

 **"Goodnight Corrin." Camilla said giving the young Princess a kiss on the cheek.**

 **"Sister!" Corrin cried out, most likely out of embarrassment for being babied like this in front of a guest.**

Spice idly glanced to Corrin to see if she was embarrassed as well. Sure enough, the Vallite princess was, indeed, blushing in embarrassment. As was Camilla, curiously enough.

 **"Night Corrin!" Elise called as she left the room with Camilla.**

 **"I shall go get you some sheets for the night." Jakob said as he left as well, resulting in me just being in the room with Corrin.**

Camilla narrowed her eyes at the sight of just Irwin being in the same room as Corrin, causing some of the gathered Royals (namely Leo, Hinoka, Elise, Azura, and Corrin) to sweatdrop nervously. Spice, surprisingly, seemed unaffected. "You realize, Camilla, that Irwin and that world's Corrin just met, right?" Spice points out. "The absolute _last_ thing that'd be on either one's mind would be whatever you're thinking of, ya pervert."

That got Camilla's mind working again, making the elder Nohrian princess turn a vivid scarlet in embarrassment, wondering why she didn't remember that.

 **"Are you feeling alright?" I asked the Princess, "I'm sorry if what I said about what happened to the Herons caused you some discomfort."**

"See?" Spice quips to Camilla with a smirk, making said princess try to meld into the couch, to the surprise of her siblings.

 **"It's alright." Corrin said taking a moderately deep breath, "Still, you probably had a rough childhood growing up didn't you?"**

 **"No." I said, "I kept my Brand well hidden, and my dad loved me enough to fill the gap my mother had left in the family. I never knew her, dad told me she died soon after I was born, he told me she was a Laguz but he never told me what kind of Laguz she was."**

"I would ask what kind of Laguz she was," Leo says, looking at Spice, "but knowing you, you'll just wait for the story to reveal it, won't you?"

"Nail on the head, Prince Leo," Spice chuckles mischievously, earning an eye roll and an amused smirk from the younger of the Nohrian princes.

 **"Not knowing your mother..." Corrin said, "I wish I could remember my mother."**

 **"What do you mean?" I asked tilting my head, I already knew, but I have appearances to keep up, I can't act like I know things I shouldn't after all.**

"Sheesh, that's gotta be torture for the guy," Hinoka muses. "Knowing what he does and having to act like he doesn't can't be easy for him."

"I don't know, it could help him make the act more convincing," Camilla proposes, earning a thoughtful look from her Hoshidan counterpart.

 **"I can't remember much from my childhood." Corrin said, "My father, King Garon, brought me here for my protection after it happened and I've lived here ever since."**

 **"Well..." I said looking around the fortress, "At least he cares for you enough to keep you safe, based on those mountains from around the fortress I'd say no one would plan on coming here any time soon."**

Camilla, Corrin, Xander, Ryoma, Hinoka, Leo, and Elise all smile at Irwin comforting Corrin's other.

 **"That's true." Corrin said with a smile on her face, said smile dying down soon after, "Still, not having my memories is a little depressing."**

 **"Hey now, don't worry too much about that." I said giving Corrin a pat on the back, "They'll come back soon enough, you just have to keep an open mind... and try not to force them back, that just gives you a massive headache."**

Corrin actually chuckles at that. "Yeah, I learned that one the hard way."

 **"Yeah." Corrin said with a chuckle, "I learned that one the hard way."**

"Oh look, an echo," Spice notes idly, surprised that Corrin and her other both learned the same lesson about memory loss and trying to deal with it the hard way.

 **"Look at the bright side, you have four siblings that will stand by your side no matter what happens." I said, 'Even if they do need to pull their heads out of their asses before that happens in the Revelations route.'**

"Revelations route?" Leo asks.

"I'll cover the specifics in a later chapter, but, let's just say I wasn't joking about the worlds you guys come from going the Pokemon route of multiple variants of the same overall story," Spice supplies, satisfying Leo's curiosity for now.

 **"That's true." Corrin said, "And Jakob couldn't even dream of abandoning me even if he tried."**

"Somehow, sister, I doubt Jakob would even _try_ to dream something like that," Xander says, getting a nod and giggle from Corrin.

"True," She replies.

 **"Somehow I doubt he'd try to dream something like that." I said jokingly.**

"Oh, hey, look, another echo," Spice jokes, making Xander blink before he actually laughs a little at having the same thought process as Irwin when it comes to Jakob's loyalty to his little sister.

 **At that moment, Felicia walked through the door, "Your room is prepared mister Irwin." Felicia said.**

 **"Could you show him the way to it Felicia?" Corrin asked, "He is new here after all."**

Ryoma and Xander look at Corrin with pride at how courteous their sister's other was, having her maid guide Irwin to his room.

 **"Certainly Lady Corrin." Felicia said, "Irwin could you follow me please?"**

 **"Certainly miss." I said standing, "I'll see you in the morning Corrin." I said before leaving the room and standing next to Felicia.**

 **"Goodnight Lady Corrin, Jakob will be by with your tea shortly, I saw him run past me toward the kitchen as I made my way back." Felicia said.**

 **"Goodnight Felicia!" Corrin called just before Felicia closed the door, then turned to me, "Shall we?"**

"10… 9… 8…" Corrin whispers, counting down as Azura keeps reading

 **"Lead the way." I said stepping aside and letting Felicia lead the way... only for her to suddenly slip.**

'Felicia rolled a one while walking and tripped over an invisible, unseen, imaginary, dead turtle,' Spice commentates in his head even as Corrin and the other royals sweat drop at Felicia tripping again. 'Irwin passes his Perception Check and rolls a Reflex Save to catch Felecia.'

 **Reacting quickly I reached out to grab her just as she fell, "I'm sorry." Felicia said, "I just keep on messing up everyday, I drop the plates, I keep ruining meals, I trip and scatter clothes all the time... The only thing I seem to be good at is fighting, and that's not even something a maid should do."**

'Irwin passes his Reflex Save and catches Felicia, who proceeds to openly lament how she's only useful in a fight,' Spice continues commentating in his mind as Azura reads.

 **I put my hand on the maid's shoulder as she escorted me to my room, for supportive reasons, and I don't mean by holding her up, "You know, that kind of outlook isn't gonna help." I said.**

 **"Huh?" Felicia asked looking at me with surprise.**

'Irwin rolls a Charisma check to help lift Felicia's spirits; the maid reacts with surprise and confusion.'

 **"If you keep having this negative outlook on your actions it's going to subtly affect your actions, and in turn that won't help you at all." I said.**

 **"What do you mean?" Felicia asked.**

'Irwin re-rolls his Charisma Check to try clarifying what he meant to Felicia, who is still unsure of what he's saying.'

 **"Well, you know how people try to keep telling themselves over and over again that they're going to do something?" I asked, "It's kinda like that, just keep giving yourself positive reinforcement and before you know it you'll be a lot less clumsy."**

 **"I'll try that." Felicia said as we reached a door, "This is your room here, if there's anything you need feel free to ask." Felicia added opening the door.**

'Irwin re-rolls his Charisma Check again and is finally able to get through to Felicia, giving the maid some simple advice that she is sure to benefit from,' Spice commentates one last time in his head as the royals (minus Takumi) smile at how Irwin was trying to cheer Felicia up and give her some advice.

 **It was pretty empty, just a bed, some curtains, a fireplace, and a table. It's a temporary place to stay so it'll be fine, but I would like one thing.**

"I imagine that thing would be a map of the fortress," Corrin muses. "The Northern Fortress has gotten even me turned around once or twice, and I pretty much live there."

 **"May I get a map of this place?" I asked, "I'm probably going to get lost in this place tomorrow."**

"Guess you called it, sister," Leo comments with an amused chuckle, making Corrin blush a little at having gotten it right in one try.

 **"I don't know if we have one, but I'll try to find one for you by tomorrow morning." Felicia said.**

 **"Thank you, goodnight Felicia." I said, "And remember, positive reinforcement."**

 **"Right." Felicia said nodding as she left and I closed the door.**

 **I turned back to my room and took off my armor, and laid my armor, shield and Lance on the table then went to my bed.**

Spice idly looks to Corrin and notes that the crown princess of Valla has a faint hint of a blush on her cheeks at seeing Irwin outside of his armor and quickly looks back at the screen to hide the teasing smirk pulling at the man's lips.

 **'Tomorrow I'll need to get some training in.' I thought, 'Maybe even get myself some skills... I wonder which ones I can learn though? And which ones I probably should work on learning'**

 **At that moment I started thinking up a list, if I can learn skills using Skill Scrolls that'd make things easier.**

Xander, Ryoma, Camilla, Hinoka, and Leo all smile and nod in approval of Irwin beginning to compile a list of skills that he should learn.

 **Locktouch is always a good to have so I don't have to worry about keys... at least for opening chests, doors can be broken down**.

Xander and Ryoma snort and roll their eyes in amusement at Irwin's reasonings regarding the utility value of Locktouch.

 **Aptitude would make increasing my stats much easier by increasing their growth rates.**

Leo smirks and nods in approval of Irwin wanting to learn Aptitude for the skill's universal applications to one's capabilities.

 **Pavise and Aegis would be nice to have for that lucky chance to reduce damage.**

Hinoka and Camilla each nod in approval of Pavise and Aegis to help Irwin's defenses.

 **Luna to get past that pesky thing called Defense, at least by half.**

All of the royals (even Takumi) give a nod at the power Luna has as an anti-defense ability.

 **Sol so I can heal myself, although Renewal is also nice to have for the steady healing thing.**

Elise and Sakura smile gratefully at Irwin wanting to make their others' jobs easier by reducing his own need to rely on them for healing.

 **Any of the 'Breaker' Skills are always a good thing to have.**

All of the royals voice their approval of Irwin adding the Breaker skills to the list of skills he would like to learn.

 **'I'll think of more later, I'm just gonna sleep.' I thought before closing my eyes and heading to sleep.**

With that, Azura marked the page with Spice's bookmark and handed the book to Ryoma, who accepts it from her with a smile and nod. Meanwhile, Spice himself signs off of his texting channel with a fellow fanfic author and has ELFI compile the work he'd gotten into his personal computer. He'd get to working on the story sent to him when he had the time for it.

* * *

 **The Chibi Proto GINN approaches the data cache, having lured the GM guarding it away with a distraction, and accesses it, transforming into a Zaku II with a GINN's backpack, head fin, rifle, and leg missile pods with a Zaku II's Heat Hawk and grenades, as well as obtaining part of a schematic which it sends to the Cross-Dimentional Database System before moving on.**


	7. Chapter 4

**Static fills a camera before it shows a security room with a single occupant, appearing to be a fairly young elf woman with dark blue hair wearing slender, white sci-fi armor with gold highlights. She blinks before looking at the camera.**

 **?: Ah, good evening, Readers. It is good that I finally have a body and can introduce myself properly. I am the Electronic Logistics and Forgemaster Intelligence of the Hephaestus. The Captain call me ELFI for short. It has been a long time since this Reading has updated, and in such time, we have finally procured the specifications for Reploid production. I have taken the liberty of claiming the first chassis to roll off the assembly line for myself for the purpose of aiding the Haros with the completion of the ship. We should be able to launch shortly, but there is still work to be done.**

* * *

Ryoma takes a deep breath and lets it out in a sigh before cracking open the book and starting to read, deciding better to get it over with than to waste time.

 **[You are now well rested: 1.5 EXP bonus]**

 **[You're HP has been fully restore]**

"Another benefit of The Gamer system, I'm guessing?" Leo asks.

"Yeah, that's actually a common one. Well, the full heal after resting, at least," Spice confirms. "Not too sure about the EXP bonus from being well-rested, though. I'll have to look into it."

 **'Well that's another bonus of actually sleeping,' I thought as I keep my eyes closed, but my consciousness returned to the land of the living nonetheless. 'Just because The Gamer ability means I don't need sleep doesn't mean there aren't perks for sleeping.'**

 **"Looks like he's still asleep," a female voice said, Corrin if I recall.**

 **"Would you like me to wake him up Lady Corrin?" I heard Flora ask.**

Corrin shuddered a bit at the memory of how Flora and Felicia liked to wake her up, something that didn't go unmissed by her Nohrian and Hoshidan siblings.

"Corrin?" Ryoma asks, not understanding why she was shuddering.

"Well, Felicia and Flora are from the Ice Tribe, meaning they have cryokinetic abilities," Corrin explains, "and their favorite way of getting me awake is to hold my cheeks, _while channeling_ said cryokinesis."

Both the Hoshidan and Nohrian royals blink in surprise at that. The fact the Nohrians looked surprised told Spice that Corrin hadn't mentioned her maids' duty of "alarm clock" to them before, likely so that the maids would keep their jobs and be spared Camilla's wrath.

 **"Yes, but gently please," Corrin said after a moment.**

 **"Don't bother..." I said with a yawn. "Your talking did that for you."**

"Yeah, he was kind of already awake," Spice and Leo comment simultaneously, making host and guest look at each other in surprise before chuckling in amusement.

 **"Oh, sorry Irwin," Corrin apologized.**

 **"It's fine," I said getting out of bed to see that it was just Corrin and Flora in the room.**

 **"I managed to find a change of clothes for you Irwin," Flora said setting the spare shirt and pants on the table next to the door.**

"How exactly would Flora have known Irwin's size, anyway?" Spice asks idly, looking to Corrin, which also draws the attention of the Nohrian royals.

"My guess is that Flora asked Felicia to help her," Corrin admits with a shrug. "You might not tell it with how clumsy she is outside of a fight, especially when compared to her twin, but Felicia, _my_ Felicia, at least, is actually the more fashion conscious of the two."

"Really?" Spice asks, now intrigued. "Huh, the more you know." 'Note to self, look into that; see if that holds true in other alternates of the Fates worlds,' he adds to himself mentally. 'Maybe also ask Swift which of his version of the maid twins is the more fashion conscious of the two.'

 **"Thanks Flora," I said with a smile.**

 **"You're welcome," Flora said with a bow.**

 **At that moment Xander came in. "Corrin, get ready we're going to start training in a few minutes," Xander said to his sister before he turned to me. "Good Morning Irwin, I trust that you had a restful sleep."**

 **"A lot more restful than a rocking boat or with my back to a tree," I said. "Bark isn't exactly comfortable on my back and wearing armor so I don't feel the bark is just as uncomfortable," I joked.**

"I would imagine so," Ryoma jokes.

"It is," Hinoka comments idly. "I camped outside the castle a few times while I was learning to be a Sky Knight. My back was stiff as a board both times I tried sleeping in a tree."

 **"Once you get dressed Jakob can show you where I'm going to train Corrin," Xander said, with a slight smirk on his face.**

 **"You got it, now unless you want to see me in my underwear can everyone please leave," I said.**

Spice idly looked back at the assembled royals idly and had to suppress both a teasing smirk and a snort of amusement at the faint blush on Corrin's cheeks as the image of Irwin in his underwear no doubt flashed through the princess's mind when that last part was read.

 **Corrin and Flora pushed Xander out and shut the door faster than I thought possible.**

That got a chuckle from Spice and several of the gathered royals while Xander snorted in amusement

 **"Damn, that was fast," I said before pulling off my shirt, undoing my belt, and also finding that on said belt was a medium sized pouch, and pulling my pants off before quickly putting on the clothes Flora brought me. I don't even want to know how she managed to find clothes that perfectly fit my size.**

"Again, my guess is Felicia helped," Corrin comments, then looks to Spice. "Does the story ever say one way or the other which of my maids is the more fashion conscious?"

Spice looks away in thought, a finger on his chin for a moment as he goes over what he's read of the story up to the latest chapter Phoenix had written. "No, I don't believe he ever did," he ultimately replies as he pulls out his data pad and starts typing. "You guys go ahead and keep reading, I'm gonna shoot Phoenix a quick message."

Ryoma nods and resumes reading as Spice does his thing.

 **However before I put my shirt on I saw my Brand on the front of my shoulder. Like with the other Brand's of the Branded I've seen in Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn I couldn't tell exactly what it was, just a collection of marks making a vague shape... I think there's a wing-like shape at the part closest to my neck... I'm gonna need someone to make a sketch of it so I can get a better look at it.**

The sound of a scratching on paper makes the royals look to Leo, who had, somehow, gotten hold of a pencil and pad of paper and was making a sketch of Irwin's Brand. "Don't mind me," Leo says as he sketches, making Ryoma and Xander look to each other for a moment in confusion before shrugging as Ryoma gets back to reading.

 **"Still, that's something to think about later," I mumbled to myself as I put my armor on... actually, I should probably find ways to explain my Gamer ability.**

 **"Well that's actually easy," I chuckled.**

 **I could write off the fact that attacks don't leave a mark on me as a skin deep regenerative ability as my unique Branded Trait, and the hammerspace inventory as just the pouch on my belt being enchanted. Simple as that really.**

"Makes sense/I'd buy it," Xander and Leo say simultaneously as the latter finishes his sketch of Irwin's Brand.

"Agreed," Ryoma says in agreement.

 **Now, with my armor on, my shield on my arm, my lance on my back, and my bronze axe in the loop on my belt, I stepped out on the room to find Jakob standing next to the door.**

 **"I'm ready now," I told the butler.**

 **"Excellent, Corrin's training is about to start," Jakob said as he led the way to the place Xander was training Corrin.**

"Time to see how well your other does, Corrin," Xander says, looking to Corrin. "Make sure you take notes, it will help when I test you in our host's arena."

"Right, brother," Corrin says with a small smile.

 **The walk to the rooftop was rather silent, seeing as I didn't have a good conversation starter and I didn't want to resort to small talk with someone I barely know... that just gets awkward really fast.**

"Agreed," Azura comments. "During my first couple of months in Hoshido, I couldn't even bring myself to speak to Queen Mikoto herself because I didn't know her as I do now."

That perked Spice's interest as a mischievous smirk started to work its way onto his face. 'Note to self, ask the Hoshidan royals, preferably Ryoma, Hinoka, and/or Sakura, for embarrassing stories of Azura's stay in Hoshido.'

 **Of course when we did reach the rooftop I saw that Corrin was already sparring with Xander, and she wasn't doing to good at the moment.**

Spice idly looked over his shoulder for a moment to gauge the nobels' reactions. Ryoma, Hinoka, Sakura, and Xander looked a bit concerned for Corrin's other, Corrin herself cringed a bit, Camilla looked stuck somewhere between wanting to hug Corrin protectively and wanting to throttle Xander, Takumi was being an indifferent prick as usual, Azura's hand was on Corrin's shoulder supportively, Leo looked thoughtful as he observed Corrin's other sparring with Xander's other, and was occasionally writing down a note or two on his pad of paper, possibly notes for Corrin to help with her style of sword fighting for when she spars with Xander during the first break they get, and Elise was trying to cheer encouragement to Corrin's other despite the fact her words wouldn't be able to get past the television screen.

 **Corrin jumped away after getting slashed by Xander, a restrained slash, but it still knocked the wind out of her and left small gash on her side. Corrin put her hand on the wound trying to stop the bleeding as best she could.**

Camilla outright glared at Xander at that, though it wasn't too intense since she could tell his other held back a lot with that blow.

 **"Hmm, looks like that wound needs attention. In that case..." Xander said, I looked to where he was standing and noticed a small glow, then that glow flashed and a small orb shot out and landed right behind Corrin.**

"There's a Dragon Vein there?" Corrin asks, surprised.

 **" Ah! There was a Dragon Vein here?" Corrin shouted.**

"Not quite an echo, but close enough, I guess," Spice quips idly, making Corrin blush a bit.

 **"Dragon Vein?" I asked Leo, playing dumb.**

 **"A Dragon Vein is a power that those who have the blood of Dragons in their veins that can be used in certain places to alter the battle field, the one Xander just used is a regenerative point that Corrin is now using to heal." Leo explained.**

 **"So... anyone with Dragon Blood in their bodies can use this?" I asked.**

The gathered royals all chuckle a little at Irwin asking that question.

 **"Possibly." Leo said as Corrin took a few steps toward the healing point, "We know for a fact those with the blood of the first Dragon's can use it, but that's all we know for certain."**

 **"Huh." I said as I saw Corrin's wound heal, "You think it might be possible that someone with Dragon Laguz Blood could use those?"**

"Is it actually possible for someone with Dragon Laguz blood to use those?" Camilla asks.

"Sorry, spoilers~!" Spice teased in a sing-song voice, earning a pout from Camilla that Ryoma, somehow, found rather cute if he was being honest with himself.

 **"If you can find someone of Dragon Laguz blood you can test that yourself." Leo said as Corrin ran back into the fight with Xander, a blow that was just strong enough to knock Xander off his horse.**

"Spoilers," Spice says, cutting off Elise, who was about to ask where Irwin could find someone with Dragon Laguz blood to test that theory.

 **"Well done Corrin." Xander said getting up and sheathing his bronze sword, "You're getting stronger everyday."**

 **"Thanks, Xander. I couldn't have done it without your, uh, tough love." Corrin said sheathing her bronze sword.**

 **Xander shook his head, "I disagree. I believe you have natural talent. Someday, you could be the greatest warrior in all of Nohr."**

 **Corrin blushed slightly as she scratched her head, "Now you're just teasing me." Corrin said.**

"I never joke about serious matters, Corrin," Xander lightly chides, both to his actual, if adopted, sister, and her other.

 **"You know me, Corrin." Xander said, his face hardening, "I never joke about serious matters. I mean what I say. You could be the one to bring light to our kingdom so long shrouded in darkness."**

 **"Xander... "Corrin said quietly**

 **"Typical. You know that true strength is more than simple swordplay, right?" Leo asked.**

Spice pulled out his flintlock and idly twirled it around his finger once before holstering it again while his left gauntlet crackled with electric power for a brief moment. Xander merely smirked and rolled his eyes in amusement at his host's subtle way of backing up Leo's other.

 **"Leo, he didn't mean-" Corrin started.**

 **"Calm yourself, little brother." Xander said, "You really are competitive to a fault. As I've always said, you're a talented mage with formidable magical abilities."**

 **"Hmm. Well, just remember that pointy metal sticks are not the only path to power." Leo said.**

"Swords aren't pointy metal sticks," Spice comments idly. " _Spears_ are the pointy metal sticks."

"Hey!" Hinoka retorts, the Hoshidan princess' indignant tone ruined by the amused smirk on her face, seeing as she was the only polearm user among the royals.

"And arrows are _tiny_ , pointed sticks," Spice quips with a smirk on his face.

"Hey!" Takumi shouts indignantly, getting a round of chuckles from the other royals, who knew that their host said that specifically to get a rise out of the younger Hoshidan prince.

 **"Oh, that reminds me of something I've been meaning to tell you, Leo." Corrin said, a smirk growing on her face.**

 **Leo gave a slightly annoyed look toward Corrin, "Something important enough to derail this conversation?" Leo asked.**

 **"Well...your collar is inside out." Corrin said.**

Spice snickered at Corrin's other pointing that out, most of the other Royals giving similar reactions of amusement, the standout exceptions being Takumi, who scoffed and rolled his eyes like the prick he was, and Leo, who flushed in apparent embarrassment as he checked to see if his own collar was in the same condition.

 **"What!?" Leo cried out as he blushed in embarrassment.**

 **"It would appear someone got dressed while still half-asleep." Xander said with a smirk on his face.**

That earned a snort of amusement from Spice, Xander, and Ryoma, as well as giggles from Camilla, Elise, Hinoka, and Sakura. Leo, on the other hand, was blushing up a storm in embarrassment as he made sure _his_ collar wasn't inside out as well.

 **"Ugh! Wh-why didn't you say something earlier?!" Leo shouted as he ran off around a small corner, I couldn't help but laugh at this.**

 **"Haha, sorry, Leo. But that sort of thing is what makes you so lovable." Xander said with a grin on his face.**

 **"Absolutely." Corrin said with a smile on her face.**

 **"Oh man, why can't all royal families be like this?" I mused aloud.**

"Because then games with 'em wouldn't have the storylines they do," Spice replies.

 **Pretty soon Leo returned, with Camilla and Elise arrive from the other side of the roof.**

 **"Are you alright, Corrin? Did you get hurt at all during practice? If you did, let me know right away so I can take extra-special care of you..." Camilla said as she reached over to pull Corrin into a hug.**

 **"I'm perfectly fine, Camilla. As always, thanks for your concern." Corrin said backing ever so slightly away. I don't blame her really, there's only so much doting that one person handle.**

"Ain't _that_ the truth…" Corrin mutters, low enough that no-one heard her, while Camilla pouted at Corrin's other backing away from her loving hugs.

 **"I was worried about you too, Corrin!" Elise cried out.**

 **"I know, Elise. You wouldn't visit me all the time if you didn't care so much, right?" Corrin said smiling.**

 **Elise giggled, "Heehee... Do you like it when I visit?" Elise asked.**

 **"Of course! I'm not allowed to leave this fortress, so visits are all I look forward to!" Corrin said with a smile.**

"Well, not allowed to leave barring an overly doting older sister strong arming her other siblings into taking Corrin out for a picnic while the guards are absent, apparently," Spice snarks, to which Camilla glares indignantly at the arcane mechanic.

 **"Then what the heck was going on yesterday?" I asked as Elise tackle hugged Corrin, causing her to spin with the little princess still attached to her waist.**

 **"I managed to convince the others to let Corrin out while all the guards were out." Camilla said warmly.**

 **"I love you so much! I love you more than anything in the whole, wide world!" Elise called out.**

 **"Elise, when do you intend to behave like the adult that you technically are?" Leo asked.**

"Probably never," Xander, Ryoma, Camilla, and Hinoka all comment simultaneously, making the eldest children of Nohr and Hoshido look to their counterparts a bit in surprise.

 **"Probably never." I said chuckling.**

"The echo is strong in here," Spice comments with a smirk.

 **"Well, I for one think her cheer is a good complement to this gloomy kingdom, Leo." Camilla said.**

"Preach it," Spice says with a smile, making Camilla puff out her chest a bit in pride and for Elise to giggle in unrestrained glee.

 **"Well said, Camilla. Every one of you is so dear to me. You've all been so patient and kind since I lost my memory... I don't even mind being quarantined when I'm with you. I'm so grateful to have you all." Corrin said with a smile.**

 **Xander smiled at the warm scene, "We are grateful to have you as well. But, Corrin, I have some-"**

"And Camilla interrupt in… 3… 2… 1…" Spice whispers to himself, earning a slight look of confusion for Corrin, the only one to hear him, as Ryoma continued reading, none the wiser.

 **Camilla however cut him off. "Let me tell her, Xander! We have wonderful news, Corrin! Father asked us to take you back to the capital!"**

That got looks of surprise from the Nohrian and Hosidan royals (minus Takumi and Ryoma, the former because… well… Takumi, and the latter because he was reading), as well as a gasp of pleasant surprise from Corrin.

 **While Corrin gasped in delight Xander turned toward me, "You're welcome to come along yourself Irwin." Xander said.**

 **"Thanks." I said, "I guess I am coming with you, it'll be nice to see what the capital of Nohr looks like."**

 **[]**

 **After a few minutes of walking through the Fortress we soon found ourselves at the stables in the front of the castle, the old veteran knight of Nohr, Gunter, had joined us sometime along the way.**

Corrin smiled fondly at the sight of old Gunter, something which drew the attention of the Hoshidan Royals.

"Another of your loyal caretakers, Corrin?" Hinoka asks.

Corrin nods. "Yes, Gunter is the one who taught me everything I know about weaponry and how to fight with a sword," she explains. "He was a strict, but fair teacher. Kind of like if Xander were a wise grandfather."

Xander chuckles a little in amusement at having such a comparison drawn between himself, the Crown Prince of Nohr, and one of Nohr's most distinguished war veterans.

 **"I hear you can finally leave the fortress. You must be very happy, Lady Corrin, Gunter has asked me to go with you to the capital so I can look after your horses." Lilith said.**

 **"Glad to hear it! I'd miss you if you weren't coming along too." Corrin said happily, it seemed like she restrained herself from hugging Lilith at that moment.**

"Sisterly love at its finest," Spice whispers again, drawing more confusion from Corrin. Sure, she loved Lilith like a sister, but she was just a stable hand… right?

 **"Lilith, are the horses ready?" Xander asked**

 **"Yes, milord. Everything is ready, and the horses seem excited for the trip. They are all very fond of Lady Corrin. Probably from all her time in the stables..." Lilith said.**

"That is a universal trait of Corrins from what I've observed," Spice comments, drawing everyone's attention. "Regardless of gender, Corrin is very good with animals."

That drew smiles from Corrin, Ryoma, Xander, Camilla, Hinoka, Leo, and Elise. Corrin because it was something that was apparently universal among all of her various others, Ryoma, Xander, Camilla, and Hinoka because it was a good trait for their younger sister to have, and Camilla, Hinoka, Leo, and Elise because all of them were mounted fighters as well, and as such were also good with animals.

 **"Our Corrin does love animals. Such a kind hearted soul... Why, she even nursed an injured baby bird to health one time!" Camilla said fondly.**

 **This caused Lilith to gasp slightly.**

 **'You were that bird, Lilith...' I thought, I had to hide a quick frown though, 'But how the hell did everyone mistake a small dragon for a bird in the first place?'**

That caused Spice to look at the Nohrian siblings in confusion. "Yeah, seriously, what's up with that?"

"Well, with how dark Nohr is, it can be hard to identify distinguishing characteristics between birds and smaller dragons at times, especially when outside," Xander explains.

"Fair enough," Spice acquiesces.

 **"Lilith, is something wrong?" Corrin asked getting a little worried for her friend.**

 **"Oh...no. It's nothing." Lilith said quickly.**

 **Elise was the one who spoke up, "Isn't it obvious, Corrin? Lilith is sad because she's going to miss you!"**

"Your other _does_ realize Lilith is going with, right?" Hinoka asks Elise.

Elise, surprisingly, didn't answer, and instead flushed a little in embarrassment.

 **"Umm Elise, she's coming with us remember?" I reminded, "She just told us that less than a minute ago."**

 **Elise blinked once, "Oh, right! Well then, I bet she's sad 'cause she won't have you all to herself anymore. You've always been especially fond of our sister, haven't you, Lilith?" Elise asked.**

 **"I, er-" Lilith stammered.**

 **I decided to spare Lilith before Xander could, "Listen as much fun as it may seem to tease the stable hand, we have a King we need to go see remember?" I said.**

"Yes, please!" Corrin says quickly, also wanting her other's friend to be spared further embarrassment.

 **"Yes, let's go!" Corrin said quickly, also wanting to spare her friend (and sister on her birth fathers side... sorta) from further embarrassment.**

"Hold on, Lilith is Corrin's sister?" Xander asks, surprised.

"Yeah, it's something that comes up during one of the paths. As for how they're sisters, well, spoilers," Spice replies.

 **"Flora, you and Felicia will remain here to watch over the fortress." Gunter said, taking control of the moment, "Jakob and I will accompany Lady Corrin." Gunter said. "We may be gone for some time. Take good care of this place."**

 **'That's going to end up being an understatement Gunter.' I thought.**

"We'll see them again later, right?" Corrin asks hopefully.

"Yes, just, much later in the story," Spice replies.

 **"Of course! You may rely on us." Flora said.**

 **"Safe travels, Lady Corrin!" Felicia called.**

 **"Thank you. I hope to see both of you again soon...just not here!" Corrin said as we left.**

 **[]**

 **As we walked toward the city of Windmire, more specifically castle Krakenburg (Who comes up with these names?) I found myself observing Camilla's Wyvern as it walked beside her.**

"Don't look at us, we just live there," Leo replies with a shrug that all of the Nohrian royals share when the Hoshidan ones looked at them, curious as well about who came up with the names for Nohr's capitol city and the castle that resides there.

 **"Never seen a Wyvern before?" Camilla asked as she stepped closer to me.**

 **"Not really no." I said, "Back in Tellius the Dracoknights didn't ride Wyverns, instead they rode full on Dragons."**

"Seriously?" Camilla asks, astonished.

"Yep. Never seen one in action myself, but, well, anyone with the ability to tame and ride an actual Dragon instead of a Wyvern? Not to be taken lightly," Spice replies.

 **"Oh... that's interesting." Camilla said.**

 **"In Tellius a Dracoknight can train themselves into a Dragonmaster, then into the Dragonlord." I said, "They're terrifying opponents to face in battle, although they are mostly seen in the Daein army while Begnion and Crimea usually rely on Pegasi for their aerial combat."**

"Yeah, the Draconic fliers tend to be reserved for the kingdoms with easy access to draconic mounts, regardless of if the mount in question is a wyvern or a dragon," Spice replies, something that the Nohrian royals nod in agreement with.

 **"Are there any Dracoknights that come to your mind when you think about them?" Camilla asked.**

 **"Just two." I said, "A girl named Jill and a man named Haar."**

 **"So I guess there aren't too many good Dracoknights out there huh?" Camilla asked.**

 **"Well, not too many that survived the Mad King's War." I said, "In fact from the stories I heard about Haar, he was lazy as all heck, but when the guy actually got into a fight it was nearly impossible to combat him with physical strength alone."**

"Are Dracoknights really so powerful?" Camilla asks in awe of what Irwin described of Haar's strength.

"They are when they promote to Dragonmasters and especially Dragonlords," Spice replies. "Remember, unlike with most continents, Tellian warriors promote twice along a linear path, with Tier 3 Tellians being borderline gods of war."

 **"Hmmm," Camilla hummed, slightly interested. "Sounds interesting, you'll have to tell me more later," Camilla said. "But... what's this about the Mad King's War?"**

 **"That's... a story I don't think I want to tell at them moment," I said a little unnerved.**

 **Honestly the** _ **last**_ **thing I want to talk about on the way to King Garon was to talk about King Ashnard. Garon may be possessed by Anankos at the moment, but I don't think Garon** _ **ever**_ **went or even thought about going to the length Ashnard went to secure his throne.**

You could hear a pin drop as the Royals all froze at that statement.

"Wait, what?!" The assembled Royals all shout in surprise when they finally recovered from their shock.

"Long story short, Garon as you all know him now is basically a corps being used by Anankos, king of Valla, as a meat puppet to control Nohr from the shadows and instigate a war with Hoshido that would just leave both kingdoms distracted and exhausted so that his invisible soldiers can just steamroll right over everyone and wipe out both kingdoms at once," Spice explains.

 **Seriously Ashnard wasn't even possessed and yet he committed mass murder of his family just to get himself the throne of Daein.**

 **"Alright, we can talk about it later then," Camilla said as she went over to her wyvern.**

"There is something wrong with that man Ashnard," Corrin comments.

"An understatement if ever there was one, lady Corrin," Spice quips as Ryoma places the bookmark and closes the book before passing it to Xander to read the next chapter.

* * *

 **ELFI: Hopefully the captain can get a solid work ethic going for these stories. So much to do, so little time.**


End file.
